The New Orleans Pelicans will have some holes to fill on the roster this summer. Here’s a look at 20 guards they could add in NBA Free Agency to address their needs.

Dell Demps tried to forge a young-veteran roster around Anthony Davis. The results were lackluster in the end. The New Orleans Pelicans may not have been a destination franchise for the headliners of NBA free agency, but Dealer Dell did not get that nickname by accident.

He was always dealing to patch holes in his free agency plan. New Orleans acquired Nikola Mirotic, Jrue Holiday, and DeMarcus Cousins through trades. Luke Babbitt, and Solomon Hill were his roster patching moves.

The new NBA Draft Lottery will reward the teams who strive for the eighth seed, or a talented team experiencing a season long slump. We just experienced that reality. David Griffin will ensure Zion Williamson wears a New Orleans Pelicans jersey on draft day and beyond. He needs a better plan for building around the Pelicans’ multiple stars.

Since the Pelicans’ draft board is one name long, the free agency plan for the next few years is taking shape now. Winging it for the year, for every year of Zion’s rookie contract, is a terrible plan. How will potential free agents and their contracts mesh with Zion’s development and the Pelicans’ plan to contend for the playoffs yearly?

Holiday and Williamson will have three years to build contender level chemistry. Paired with Jrue Holiday alone, the Pelicans will be too good to tank. The talent around needs to match that window. Even if Davis signs a new super-max five year deal, we all know that halfway through the contract there will be more trade rumors if the Pelicans are not winning playoff series.

Anthony Davis or the haul from a trade will only add to the team’s competitiveness, even in a stacked Western Conference. Griffin will have room to add talent, could create even more, and allegedly might have permission to spend to luxury tax levels. Spending above the tax depends on Davis signing a new deal. No other Pelicans free agent would demand such an investment.

Griffin has heard Jrue’s insistence he is not strictly a point guard and likes to work from the off-ball spots. Davis still needs to be convinced he could dominate from the five, while Zion will spend his rookie season finding what skills translate quickest. It is no overstatement to say Zion could operate in every offensive role from ball handler, catch-and-drive off ball wing, or a post dominating big.

That leaves the Pelicans needing a point man, some wing depth, and bigs who do not need the ball to thrive. Pelican Debrief has covered the Pelicans’ impeding free agents. While the NBA world waits on all the player/team option decisions, Griffin can build out his NBA Free Agency Big Board and decision tree, including price points.

What follows is a best guess attempt at what the New Orleans Pelicans board might look like. Unless Griffin is thinking bigger than this Pelicans fan dares to dream, it is doubtful Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard are feasible options. Some restricted free agents are scattered through these lists as well. Griffin will have to consider playing the matching offer poker game eventually if he wants any of these guys.

This is a three part series of articles, and today, we’re going to rank 20 free agent guards that the New Orleans Pelicans could look to target.