Recently Traded New Orleans Pelicans Big Man Could Be Moved Again

A New Orleans Pelicans center who was recently traded by the team could be on the move again in the near future.

Oct 28, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) is cornered by New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) during the first quarter at Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Dobbins-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans revamped their frontcourt depth chart this offseason. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas departed in free agency, agreeing to a three-year, $30.3 million deal with the Washington Wizards.

However, his stint in the nation’s capital isn’t expected to be a long one. Trade rumors have already popped up that the Wizards will look to trade him when he is first eligible in December.

His backup from last season, Larry Nance Jr., is also no longer with the team. Along with Cody Zeller, Dyson Daniels and E.J. Liddell, Nance was part of the Dejounte Murray blockbuster heading to the Atlanta Hawks.

Liddell was already traded a second time, as he was flipped to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for David Roddy. Could Nance eventually meet the same fate?

In a recent piece over at The Athletic, Fred Katz and Jon Hollinger spoke about different options for the New York Knicks at the center spot. The Knicks have a big void in their lineup with Isaiah Hartenstein leaving in free agency, signing a huge contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

New York hasn’t made any changes to its frontcourt to address that loss. Mitchell Robinson and Jerico Sims were still under contract, and Precious Achiuwa was re-signed. Ariel Hukporti was selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft as well.

The Knicks could give Julius Randle some minutes at the 5-spot, but that is something Tom Thibodeau has been hesitant to do in the past. He doesn't offer the kind of rim protection Thibodeau likes from his centers, but with improvements made on the perimeter, rim protection may not be needed as often in spurts.

New York will almost assuredly see how they fare in the early going of the season, evaluating to see what changes could be made. If they seek an upgrade in the middle on the trade market, Nance is someone that Hollinger believes could be on their radar.

“At a much lower level, the player who makes some sense in this role behind Robinson and could probably be had is Larry Nance Jr., who right now is the third center on the depth chart in Atlanta and has a digestible $11 million expiring salary,” Hollinger said.

Nance is currently behind Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu on the Hawks’ depth chart at center. Capela has been mentioned in some trade rumors during the NBA offseason as well, as Atlanta will likely make a move with one of their veterans during the season.

Nance, like Achiuwa, is a bit undersized at center standing only 6’8”. He isn’t much of a shot blocker, but is a very solid defender capable of handling himself on the perimeter during switches.

Nance would offer some of the offensive skills that Hartenstein did. A solid playmaker, teams also have to show some respect to Nance on the perimeter, as he has made 34.2 percent of his 3-point attempts in his career.