Before Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans had one pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Now they have two.
The Pelicans, who already own the No. 7 overall selection in the draft, also have No. 23 now. They acquired the extra pick in a trade with the Indiana Pacers, the team announced Tuesday.
In the deal, the Pelicans get the No. 23 pick and the rights to Mojave King. The Pacers receive back their own 2026 first-round pick, which the Pelicans had obtained via the Toronto Raptors in the February Brandon Ingram trade.Â
It's the first big move by Joe Dumars, the Pelicans new executive vice president of basketball operations. Dumars, who replaced David Griffin in April, had this to say in early June about the draft.
“I know this draft," he said. "We’re going to get a really good player at seven.â€
Now he has more options.
Dumars can stay put and use both draft picks, or he could package the two picks to try and trade up to get a player he covets even more.
Players who the Pelicans could target if they plan to move up in the draft include Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, who is projected to be one of the top players picked in the draft behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg, a certainty to be the first pick by the Dallas Mavericks.
The first round of the NBA draft is June 25. The second round is June 26.
The Pelicans don’t have a second-round pick in this year’s draft.
If the Pelicans decide to keep the No. 23 pick, there’s some precedent for success in drafting in the 20s. Last year, the Pelicans drafted Yves Missi out of Baylor with the No. 21 pick. Missi, who was considered a project, became one of the Pelicans most reliable players during the injury-filled season.
Missi played in a team-high 73 games. He averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, earning himself a nod on the second team of the NBA All-Rookie squad.
In addition to the draft picks, the Pelicans also acquired the rights to King, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from New Zealand. King has yet to play in an NBA game.
After playing with the G League Ignite, King was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2023 draft. His rights were immediately traded to the Pacers.
King, 23, played with the Pacers' Summer League team and their G-League affiliate, but he has spent most of the past two seasons playing professionally overseas.Â
