The New Orleans Pelicans hope to have newcomers Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk in uniform when they continue a four-game trip with a swing through Northern California to face the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
The Pelicans acquired the two veterans and two draft picks from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Brandon Ingram at this week’s trade deadline.
New Orleans has lost seven in a row, including both ends of a set in Denver on Monday and Wednesday. Ingram did not play in those games, and the trade was finalized Thursday.
Brown and Olynyk were both considered to be redirection candidates after being acquired by the Pelicans, but they made no such trade. Reports out of New Orleans on Friday also indicated the club is not considering a buyout on Brown, who is in the last year of his deal.
Brown and Olynyk can only hope to have the kind of impact Trey Murphy III has had in additional playing time created by Ingram’s 27-game absence that dated back to Dec. 8. He’s averaged 24.1 points over that stretch, making 50.1 percent of his shots and 40.6 percent of his 3-pointers.
Murphy went for 21 points when the Pelicans lost 111-109 at home to the Kings in the clubs’ only previous meeting this season on Dec. 12.
Murphy’s run, which likely made Ingram expendable, has impressed star teammate Zion Williamson.
“CJ (McCollum) told me two years ago: When you command a double-team, that means you command respect,” Williamson said. “Trey has been showing why he commands a double-team. I’m excited to see his growth.”
The Pelicans can only hope their new looks starts out better than what has transpired with the Kings in their first two games since picking up Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine improved from 13 points in his Kings home debut Wednesday against the Orlando Magic to 22 points the next night at Portland. But Sacramento, fighting to retain a play-in position in the Western Conference, lost both contests.
Those defeats just give more significance to games like the Pelicans’ visit, LaVine noted.
“We’re right there in the hunt,” he insisted. “I think these next games are important for us. We have to buckle down and work through some grooves. But I think we’ll be OK because it’s a competitive group, an encouraging group.”
Sacramento’s current look features more new parts than just LaVine. Jonas Valanciunas, acquired from Washington at the deadline, debuted with the Kings in Portland with six points and five rebounds off the bench, while Jake LaRavia, picked up from Memphis, is expected to join the team in time for Saturday’s game.
The Kings walked off the Portland court Thursday night tied for the final play-in spot in the West with 31 games remaining. They were just three losses out of the sixth position, which earns an automatic spot in the playoffs.
“I think everyone sees how open it is,” Domantas Sabonis said. “We’re all super tight with a couple games (separating teams). Everyone’s trying to make moves to try and put themselves in the best position for the playoffs.”
