Scoot Henderson has a suitor from well outside his projected range.
Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting on Monday that the New Orleans Pelicans are expected to aggressively pursue a top pick in this month’s NBA Draft, potentially No. 2 or No. 3 overall. Charania adds that the Pelicans are specifically eyeing the G League Ignite guard Henderson.
New Orleans currently has the No. 14 overall pick in the draft. While it will take a significant return package to effectively trade up a dozen or so spots in the lottery, the Pelicans do still have plenty of future draft capital to offer. That includes a 2024 first-round pick via the 2019 Anthony Davis trade with the Los Angeles Lakers and multiple future first-round picks and pick swaps via the 2020 Jrue Holiday trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 19-year-old Henderson, who averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for the Ignite this season, has the springy athleticism and high-energy playmaking that any NBA team would love. He is not expected to fall past the No. 3 slot and has been widely linked to one particular team.
But the Pelicans, who largely relied on veteran CJ McCollum as an out-of-position 1 this season, need the help at point guard. The coming days and weeks will determine just how desperate they are to pony up and hijack Henderson from one of his expected lottery destinations.
