The New Orleans Pelicans have the best young core in the NBA and a chest of draft picks, including three in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft.
Not a bad spot to be in.
Since the Pelicans don’t need immediate help from those second rounders, they can use the picks to take flyers on high-ceiling players who might not be ready.
This is traditionally where teams will use picks on international players who they can allow to develop overseas in what is often referred to as “draft-and-stash.”
Though many of these players never see the NBA, there have been some notable successes, such as Manu Ginobili, Andrei Kirilenko and Nikola Jokic.