The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the quietest teams in the NBA this offseason so far. Aside from giving Anthony Davis a monster extension, they really haven't been in the news, mostly because they thought they would be over, or close to over, the salary cap. With the news breaking this week that the cap would be higher than initially expected, the Pelicans have a little bit more wiggle room that they thought. With the extra cap room the Pelicans are setting their sights on K.J. McDaniels, according to NOLA.com.
McDaniels was drafted with the second pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft and has been viewed as a guy with a lot of potential. In his rookie year McDaniels played in 62 games with two different teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets. With the 76ers, McDaniels was getting regular minutes, averaging 25 a game, and 9.2 points per game, but once he was traded to the Rockets he only saw a total of 33 minutes.
The Rockets made it to the Western Conference Finals last season so you can't blame them for not getting a rookie second round pick much playing time, but McDaniels has a chance to be something in the NBA, and the Pelicans notice that based on their reported interest.
McDaniels isn't the only player the Pelicans would like to get signed now that they have extra cap relief. The Pelicans main priority is reportedly to retain Norris Cole as the backup point guard, which is likely since he was extended a qualifying offer and they can match any other ones he gets.
The Rockets are also reportedly interested in retaining McDaniels, but they might have to choose between him or retaining Josh Smith, according to SB Nation.
McDaniels, as mentioned before, is all about potential. He is already a good defender but has the potential to be a very strong defender. He is also crazy athletic and can finish in transition, but his biggest flaw is shooting the ball. In his rookie season McDaniels shot just below 40 percent from the field, and only 29 percent from the three point line. McDaniels is still very young (22) so he has time to work on his shooting, but if he wants to be a very good NBA player, that three point percentage will have to increase, especially with the NBA going in more of a "3 & D" direction.
