Mbah a Moute could be a Pelicans small forward target, solution - Jimmy Smith

It seems as though we've been dissecting the status of the New Orleans Pelicans' small forward position for the last several years.

And we have.

So why should anything be different as we sit 10 days from the start of the NBA's annual free-agency period with the team still searching for some stability at a spot that has been unstable for quite some time.

You really have to go back to the 2011-12 season, when Trevor Ariza was the starting small forward, to find a time when the Pelicans were truly comfortable with the player who occupied the position.

Ariza was a great defender who could also contribute on the offensive end consistently.

Since Ariza departed, New Orleans has been looking for a dependable player to fill the roll, and while last year's tandem of Quincy Pondexter and Dante Cunningham, which really wasn't put into place until January, proved to be adequate, it might be nice moving forward to identify just one body at that spot who can take care of the responsibilities on both ends.

There's a long list of small forward about to enter into the free-agent marketplace, but the Pelicans will likely have some budget constraints as they pursue potential roster upgrades.

The biggest names on the list, a pair of restricted free agents, are Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green.

Leonard will likely get a max-money offer from the San Antonio Spurs, who envision him the future face of their franchise, while the NBA champion Golden State Warriors have let it be known they'll match any offer tendered to Green.

The Pelicans' age demographic would seem to eliminate candidates such as Richard Jefferson (35) and even Matt Barnes (35) who likely won't be retained by the Charlotte Hornets after they acquired him last week in a deal that sent Lance Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers.

An interesting subject could be Luc Mbah a Moute, currently with the Philadelphia 76ers, who has played both the small and power forward position over the course of his seven-year NBA career that began in 2008 with the Milwaukee Bucks.

He's been categorized as a good – some pundits might say great – defender and last season with the Sixers had his best offensive season, averaging 9.9 points a game while converting 30 percent of his 3-point shots, though his overall shooting percentage was less-than-spectacular 39.5.

Mbah a Moute also averaged 4.9 rebounds a game last season.

Last year, Mbah a Moute earned $4.38 million, which would put him into a mid-level exception (just more than $5 million) deal range for his next contract, a price consistent with what the Pelicans could pay.

A New Orleans target? Who knows?