The New Orleans Pelicans may be staring at a very different kind of draft outcome than the one their offseason suggested. Even if they manage to chase the playoffs, Milwaukee’s situation could still leave them with a real shot at landing near the top of the 2027 NBA draft.
That’s where Caleb Holt enters the picture.
Holt is a freshman guard at Arizona, and he’s expected to step into a major role for a top-10 team while handling responsibilities on both ends of the floor. If his measurements come back with a positive wingspan, he could project as exactly the kind of two-way wing NBA teams spend years hunting for.
For New Orleans, that kind of player makes a lot of sense. The Pelicans have spent a frustrating offseason without much movement, failed to get back into the first round at a price they liked, and didn’t wind up picking until No.
- Their stated goal remains a push for the postseason, but the roster picture still leaves room for a pivot toward younger talent.
Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy remain part of the present, yet Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are already in the mix as possible pillars of the future. If the Pelicans do lean harder into that younger core, Holt would fit naturally as a long-term running mate for both.
The appeal is pretty clear from the profile alone. Holt brings athleticism, range as a shooter, passing ability and the kind of high motor that coaches love to lean on. Those are all traits New Orleans could use on the wing right now, and they’re the kind of traits that can shape a roster for years if the draft lottery breaks the right way.
This isn’t a class built around one obvious can’t-miss star like Cooper Flagg or Victor Wembanyama, which puts even more value on finding the right player and the right fit. The lottery is expected to create plenty of chaos, and early simulations have the Pelicans often sitting in the top four because of Milwaukee. That alone makes Holt a name worth circling.
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