No. 2: The New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are flush with intriguing players. What is Zion Williamson's ceiling if he can stay healthy? Is Brandon Ingram budget Kevin Durant or Rudy Gay? Is Trey Murphy a budding star? What role will Dyson Daniels have in a year or two?
The place where they aren't flush is at ball-handler, as this team plays a number of combo guards and wings with Jose Alvarado the sole exception. Caris LeVert isn't one of those either, but he can help shore up their playmaking-by-committee approach. He is an ideal player to insert into defensive-oriented bench lineups to give a team a functional NBA offense, and he also can play off of Zion Williamson while not overly compromising the spacing.
No. 1: The Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are another team struggling to score in the halfcourt, with their size on defense and force in transition buoying a team whose poor spacing threatens their chances of contending this season. Their run to the In-Season Tournament showed the upside, but their record in all other games (7-10) speaks to the struggle.
The Lakers are always open to a big swing, but they may also target a player like Caris LeVert to shore up some of their weaknesses without using all of their remaining assets. He could pair with Gabe Vincent off the bench to provide some scoring and playmaking, or he could even be a part of the starting lineup at the 2 if Austin Reaves continues to come off of the bench.
LeVert can score, he can pass, and he is a competent defender. That's the archetype of a player that can help a lot of teams, and whether it's one of these five or another franchise, it's very possible that he will find himself in a new jersey by this season's Trade Deadline.