Latest ESPN 6.0 Draft Big Board not conducive to needs of New Orleans Pelicans

It appears the NCAA tournament has done no favors for the New Orleans Pelicans.

If the franchise remains in their current sixth position after the draft lottery is decided in May, Chad Ford is projecting both Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray will likely be off the board come New Orleans time for selection. Worse, Ford's next half dozen or so players on the list all require serious development in a particular area or two -- something Dell Demps has insinuated in the past he would rather forgo.

With Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Anthony Davis on the roster, it is no secret the Pelicans should seek to fill the huge hole at small forward. Jaylen Brown remains a potential candidate, but many are in agreement his jumpshot requires plenty of work. Outside of him and Jakob Poeltl, the remainder of the group slated in between 6-13 consist of players who are best suited at positions considered Pelicans strengths.

Thus, New Orleans could approach the 2016 NBA draft in one of three ways.

• Draft for the future, say pick Dunn and move on from Evans down the road or add a potential frontline player to pair up with Davis.
• Forgo some potential draft value and fill a position of need by perhaps targeting either Denzel Valentine or Timothe Luwawu.
• Dangle the pick to opposing teams and move down in the draft or flip it entirely for a current NBA player, one possessing two-way abilities.

In due time, The Bird Writes will tackle how they best feel the Pelicans should remedy the potential pitfalls of drafting sixth or later in the lottery. Do not expect much consensus since it does not appear to be deserving of a majority opinion.