Southwest Notes: Pelicans Trade Rumors, McCollum, Hawkins, Morant, Smart

In response to a report that the Pelicans have made the majority of their roster available on the trade market, head coach Willie Green said he would discuss the rumors with the team in due course.

“At some point we’ll have some discussions about what’s true and what’s not.” Green told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “But for the most part we try to block out all the noise and distractions. Without that, we have a lot to concentrate on. Our focus is on coming in every day with the right perspective, implementing it in training, committing to our film work and preparing for our games. Some of the rumors and some things we hear are beyond our control. We will do our best to continue communicating with our group.”

Veteran Guard CJ McCollumone of the players who could move understands why there is so much excitement around the team about the trade.

“Obviously we’re not doing well.” McCollum said. “So teams will be circling like sharks to see who they can poach. Our team may or may not entertain trades. Who knows?”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

• Jordan Hawkins (Annular cleft of the lumbar spine) could be used again this evening Pelicans against Houston. He was listed as questionable on Wednesday’s official injury report, according to a team press release. The second-year guard has missed the last eight games. Jose Alvarado (strain of the left thigh muscles), Brandon Ingram (left ankle sprain), Karlo Matkovic (lower disc protrusion at the back), Daniel Theis (personal reasons) and Zion Williamson (strain of the left thigh muscles) are left out.
• The Grizzlies could be without two prominent guards tonight against Golden State. Yes Morant is listed as questionable with left shoulder pain while Marcus Smart is doubtful due to lower back pain, the team’s PR department tweets.
• Smart came off the bench but got crucial minutes. That helped Grizzlies “The guard is accepting his new role,” he told Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “Ultimately you want to be on the pitch” he said. “You want to be on the pitch at the moment of the game that is most important. That is the goal. As long as I’m in those moments, I don’t really complain. I think my resume speaks for itself that it shouldn’t even be a question of whether or not I’ll be in those moments. But like I said, I can just control what I can control.”