It’s that time of the year again. The Pelicans are hanging around .500 and with a star player like Anthony Davis on their roster, it’s leading to a lot of questions about what they’re going to do to get him the help he needs. This is the fate of the small market with a superstar level talent like Davis. Slip for even a second and the sharks will begin to circle.
Of course, this isn’t without some merit. Even the Pelicans themselves are starting to grow a little concerned about the future of Davis. He’s currently in the third year of a five-year contract with a player option in the final season. Davis will likely opt out of that final year and if he does that might be the end of his tenure in New Orleans. If the Pelicans get a chance to extend Davis sooner as opposed to later then they’re going to take it. The key is convincing him. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the pressure is mounting.
But what about the buyers? League executives report the New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings lead the list of teams calling around looking for ways to upgrade their rosters in recent weeks.
The Pelicans, who put in an offer for Jimmy Butler, are feeling the pressure to convince Anthony Davis to sign an extension next summer. They own their first-round pick, and general manager Dell Demps has routinely been willing to trade firsts for instant help in the past. That alone gives them a good chance to get an impact player for the second half if they’re so inclined.
Robin Lopez
So the Pelicans are buyers at the deadline. Unfortunately for them it doesn’t look like any stars to pair with Davis are available, but that doesn’t mean they have to give up hope. If they can put a talented roster of role guys around him, and set up Davis with the idea of recruiting a star to join him in New Orleans then that might be enough to keep him. The Pelicans need to make upgrades though. If they look on the trade market there are some suitable names out there for them to go after.
Robin Lopez
The first way to help Davis is to put less of a strain on him defensively. Bring in current Bulls prisoner Robin Lopez and that would do wonders in giving Davis some help both when sharing the floor and in a backup role. Right now, the Pelicans don’t have any true rim protectors or defensive big men other than Davis. To say he anchors the defense would be a minor understatement. New Orleans is currently giving up 106.4 points every 100 possessions when Davis is on the floor. When leaves, the Pelicans defense collapses to a stunning 114.8 points per 100. Bourbon Street Shots recently did a deep dive into how deep the problem of the Pelicans defense goes. It’s not great.
Lopez would be a wonderful help to Davis. He’s currently trapped in Chicago on a Bulls team that is doing its best to implode. Yet, as a team, Chicago actually has a better defense than New Orleans. A huge part of that is Lopez. The Bulls have a pretty stout 105.4 points per 100 defense when Lopez is on the floor. They give up 110 points per 100 when he’s on the bench. His on court numbers would probably be even better if he wasn’t playing on a defense that routinely looks like it doesn’t know what it is doing.
Lopez would be perfect in New Orleans. He can play 20-30 minutes a game of strong defense, he’ll fit perfectly as a backup center, and he can even play minutes next to Davis against bigger teams. New Orleans desperately needs a defensive big man. Take Solomon Hill’s contract, throw in some second round picks, and offer it for Lopez. See if the Bulls bite.
Kent Bazemore
The Pelicans need for defense goes beyond their bigs. The wing is another place they could use some serious help, or at least add some depth if possible. The Solomon Hill signing has really not worked the way New Orleans was hoping for, and E’Twaun Moore’s injury has left a hole that needs to be filled on both ends of the floor.
Kent Bazemore is too good for the Hawks. Atlanta is on a full scale rebuild that is going to take a lot of time. That is time that Bazemore shouldn’t be using if he can help it. The quicker Bazemore can get out of Atlanta and go play on a good team the better because he’s talented enough to help teams win. He’s a great perimeter defender and in the right system he should be able to knock down 3-pointers. He isn’t doing that in Atlanta right now, because nobody has the ability to get him space to take those open shots. Put him on the floor with Anthony Davis however and Bazemore can once again become a reasonable floor spacer (as he was in Atlanta when the team was good).
This is a no brainer trade for New Orleans if it can pull it off. The problem will be in the asking price. Bazemore is probably the Hawks best player and the asking price for him could be pretty high. A Solomon Hill and Wes Johnson package for Bazemore works, but Atlanta is going to ask for the Pelicans first round pick. It’s not that New Orleans needs that pick, but that’s a valuable asset to trade away for what is essentially just a starter. If Dell Demps thinks Bazemore is worth it, then he should go for it.
Semi Ojeleye
The trade everybody has been waiting for. The Pelicans and Celtics will finally make a deal. No, Davis will not be getting packaged up and sent to Boston. Instead, New Orleans will see if it can take a lightly used Semi Ojeleye off the Celtics hands for some second round assets. Ojeleye isn’t a major part of the Celtics rotation and if Boston is looking to flip him for assets then New Orelans might be able to provide that.
The issue again comes down to player value. Danny Ainge refuses to give up an inch in a trade. He’s going to ask for far more than Ojeleye is worth and the Pelicans should not even for a second consider giving up anything of major value for him. Second round assets and rotation players like Hill or Frank Jackson are okay, but they can’t let that first round pick out of their sights.
This might be one of those deals that happens as part of a larger three team deal. Maybe the Celtics are trying to get involved in something else and they need to move money around. The Pelicans can come in and offer to take the money off their hands. It’s a complicated deal, but Ojeleye would be a nice piece to add to a New Orleans rotation in need of some size and muscle.
Rodney Hood and/or Alec Burks
Rodney Hood and Alec Burks are both wings that theoretically could help the Pelicans. They’ve had both high and low moments, but their high points are what the Pelicans would be buying here. The best part for New Orleans is both contracts are expiring. So if this ends up not working out then the money is immediately taken off the books. It’s a very low risk scenario for New Oreleans considering what is going on in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers are having a full on fire sale right now. The Pelicans may able to sneak in and grab a rotation caliber player for cheap. They might have to wait a little while for the Cavaliers perceived value on these pieces to drop, but New Orleans can dangle the Solomon Hill contract and some solid second-round picks and see if there’s a bite. Just don’t give up a first.
Cory Joseph or Darren Collison
Windhorst mentioned in the same piece that the Pelicans are buyers that the Pacers could be exploring the idea of moving one of Cory Joseph or Darren Collison. Indiana is very high on Aaron Holiday and trading one of the two veteran guards would create space for the Pacers to give him more minutes. Lucky for the Pelicans, they’re currently in the market for a point guard that can distribute the ball and provide some depth.
Elfrid Payton has been sitting out with an injury leaving a lot of the guard duties to Tim Frazier. He’s decent, but he’s more of a third guard in a PG rotation as opposed to the primary backup. Jrue Holiday can take a lot of the point guard duties for himself, but having another guard on the roster for depth while also allowing Holiday to run at the shooting guard spot isn’t the worst idea in the world. Both Joseph and Collison are solid team first guards that can fit into a distributor role just fine.
For the Pelicans, Cory Joseph is an easier contract to acquire and is used to playing a backup role from his time in Toronto. He might be the better option here.
Trevor Ariza or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
We already know Trevor Ariza is on the table. The Lakers are currently trying to get him from the Suns, but they’re seeking a third team for the deal. Phoenix wants a point guard but it definitely doesn’t want Elfrid Payton. The Pelicans don’t have any point guards to really offer the Suns for Ariza, but if they’re willing to throw in their first-round pick and create a bidding war for Ariza then maybe they can steal him away at the last second.
If they don’t think they can get Ariza then they may be able to get themselves involved as the third team in the deal and take on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. With contracts like Solomon Hill, Wes Johnson, and Frank Jackson on the roster they have the assets to move and make money work. They may be able to get some shooters on the roster as well to continue helping space the floor for Davis. However, with the Rockets currently emerging as frontrunners to be the third team there will likely be competition for either of these players.
