New Orleans Pelicans select Buddy Hield with 6th overall pick in 2016 NBA Draft: In what is considered to be a critical offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans took a necessary step to improve by selecting former Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield with the sixth overall pick in the first round of Thursday night's NBA draft. -- The Times-Picayune

Pelicans acquire former Kansas power forward Cheick Diallo's draft rights in trade with Clippers: New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps didn't rule out the possibility of exploring a trade during Thursday night's NBA Draft. It just took him until the second round to get a deal commenced, but he sent the 39th and 40th picks to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to former Kansas power forward/Center Cheick Diallo. -- The Times-Picayune

Buddy Hield is the perfect pick for the New Orleans Pelicans: Little went right for the New Orleans Pelicans last season so they were overdue for some good fortune when the NBA Draft started on Thursday night. And for once, seemingly everything went their way. Boston and Phoenix surprised the analysts and took Jaylen Brown and Dragan Bender ahead of them at Nos. 3 and 4, and the guy the Pelicans wanted and needed the most fell into their nest. -- The Times-Picayune

Pelicans GM Dell Demps honors the memory of slain JPSO Deputy David Michel Jr.: Before New Orleans Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps praised their selection of sharpshooting guard Buddy Hield during Thursday night's NBA Draft, he honored the memory of JPSO Deputy David Michel Jr., who was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday. -- The Times-Picayune

Pelicans take Oklahoma shooting star Buddy Hield with No. 6 pick: Buddy Hield knows the weather is warm in New Orleans, like it is in his home of Freeport, Bahamas. He knows his new city has “a lot of good food.” Mostly, though, the former Oklahoma shooting guard, whom the Pelicans made the No. 6 pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft, knows what his job will be when he arrives. -- The Advocate

By landing Buddy Hield, Pelicans fans finally have another reason to celebrate: Yeah, Buddy. New Orleans Pelicans fans hadn’t cheered this loudly since April 2015. That was the night the Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs to clinch the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and make the playoffs for the first time since 2011. There hasn’t been a whole lot to cheer about since. -- The Advocate

Pelicans grab Kansas star Cheick Diallo after trading up in second round: While the No. 6 pick grabbed the headlines, the Pelicans made a leap up the draft order in the second round to snag Cheick Diallo. New Orleans exchanged the No. 39 and No. 40 picks to the Los Angeles Clippers to get No. 33, so the Pelicans could grab the former Kansas standout. -- The Advocate