Recently Traded New Orleans Pelicans Player Selected in Unique Mock Draft

A former New Orleans Pelicans lottery pick was selected in a unique mock draft done by NBA writers.

Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Australia point guard Dyson Daniels (1) in action against Canada in a men's group stage basketball match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

When the New Orleans Pelicans completed their blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Hawks earlier this offseason, they traded away plenty of assets. Among them was versatile guard Dyson Daniels.

The No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Daniels has a lot of tools that NBA teams like. He showed improvement during the 2023-24 season, his second in the league, but isn’t even scratching the surface of his development.

After averaging only 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game as a rookie, Dyson saw an increased role in Year 2. He received 22.3 minutes per game and his production improved.

He averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks. His efficiency also improved, as Dyson made 44.7 percent of his shots overall last season compared to 41.8 percent as a rookie. That resulted in an improved effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage and PER.

He turned only 21 years old in March, providing tantalizing upside and untapped potential. That is part of the reason why Daniels was part of an exercise done by members of The Athletic basketball staff.

James L. Edwards, Kelly Iko and Will Guillory took part in a mock draft. This mock draft had a twist, as only players who are 21 years of age or younger were eligible to be selected. Their goal was to put together the best possible team with the possibility of winning a championship by 2029.

With the last pick in the seventh round, Iko took the former Pelican, now Hawks, guard. He was the 21st player selected.

“At this juncture, the talent pool is essentially dried up, but I’m going to take a swing on a project. Daniels is making his presence felt at the Olympics for the Australian national team, and there’s no reason why he can’t be an impactful two-way player in the NBA at some point. Daniels was never going to get a real opportunity in New Orleans, but I think the trade to Atlanta will jumpstart his young career. Sign me up for the 6-8 ballhandler who wants to pick defenders up full-court. I’m a fan,” Iko wrote.

On an Australian Team with a ton of NBA talent in the backcourt, Daniels found a way to shine through. During the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, he averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 STOCKS (steals and blocks) in 26.8 minutes per game. Atlanta certainly hopes that be can build off of his success this summer once the NBA regular season rolls around in October.

Trading away a young player with so much upside is never easy. But it was a move New Orleans had to make as Daniels was never going to receive the opportunities he needed to truly develop his game.