So when the rumors of a Jerami Grant for the pelicans pick (if conveyed) first started resurfacing I was a pretty big fan of it. Grant would pretty easily be the best forward the Dame has had since LA, you are kind of hoping he turns into the perfect combination of his Denver defense and Detroit offense. Which is kind of a big ask, but I thought worth it especially because at the time the Pelicans were siting in 9th for lottery odd and I haven't really fallen in love with any of the prospects there. You had:

​

• Jalen Duren: I think he will be the biggest Draft and Stash in this lottery, I think the NBA game will be way to fast for him initially. He has some heavy feet on defense and he struggled a lot in the first half of the college year, until he realized he was bigger and stronger than everybody which I can see being replicated in the NBA. Nothing against him as an overall prospect I just think he will take some time to get there which isn't something we want right now.
• Bennedict Mathurin: I am a big fan of his and think he will be a good NBA player. He is listed at 6'7" which I think is a little generous to me, I'm concerned he is closer to 6'5" so would he more of a 2 than a 3? Obviously if the measurables check out would love to get him.
• Johnny Davis: The dude is a solid player but we don't need another guard.
  

​

All that to say if the BPA is not the best player for us then I am willing to trade on the idea that Grant can become that Hybrid version of himself and at worse he will be like a 2019 Al-Farouq Aminu. The Pelicans went up the standings and as of now sit in a 3 way tie for 10th but for this argument I will say they are the 12th pick. It is the worst that pick can be if conveyed. Now if we had the 12th pick some of the prospects we would be looking at:

​

• Jeremy Sochan: 6'9" forward with potential be able to guard 1-5 has really good feel for the game, solid passer has a questionable jump shot.
• Tari Eason: Another Versatile 6'8" versatile defender shows a lot of Hustle and strong ability to get to the FT line. played better coming off the bench which is underrated when you are trying to get kids that have been the star their whole life to play a role. He has a weak handle that will crumple under some pressure.
• Ochai Agbaji: While he is another one I want to see measurables for but what can I say? The dude worked out with Dame's trainer Phil Beckner last summer and not only got himself into a likely Mid FRP but helped get his team a championship. One of the best cutters in the class he would fit Chauncy's system like a glove. The Blazers have had a lot of luck at drafting hard-working seniors in the past...
• Throw out a flyer on Patrick Baldwin: He was a top 5 Prospect going into the season and just had a catastrophic awful year. If he does well in the combine and interviews well i could see him being the MPJ or Cam Johnson reach of this years draft.

​

So when I'm looking at these prospects I don't really want to trade the pick for Grant, I would rather draft these rookies. I just found it a little interesting that as the Pelican's pick got "worse" it went up in value in my eyes just because of what prospect that were in that range. Ultimately, I think I lean keeping the pick but I'm okay with Grant too because I do think he would fit right in. Does anyone share the same/different thoughts? how do you feel about the idea of Grant after some marinating on the rumors?