At the end of the 2018-19 season, the New Orleans Pelicans were a mess, they missed the playoffs once again and it was clear that
their All-NBA player Anthony Davis wanted out. He didn’t want to sign the
supermax as he yearned for the greener pastures of Los Angeles. So, with the
Pelicans doomed, the basketball gods answered their prayers, and they somehow turned chicken s**t into chicken salad. The Pelicans won the lottery
and were able to draft conscientious number one pick Zion Williamson and
although he only played a handful of games, his presence alone has once again
given the fans of New Orleans hope. They also shipped AD to the Lakers in
exchange for a bevy of young players and 1st round picks.
In the 24 games Zion played, he was absolutely dominant as lived up to his hype and then some. He averaged 22.5
points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on an impressive 58.3% from the
field. He also finished 2nd in the Rookie of The Year voting despite
his limited games, thus signifying his impact on the court.
They struck gold once again when
Brandon Ingram, a struggling small forward, had a breakout season which
included an All-star appearance and a Most Improved Player award. He averaged
23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 46.3% from the field and
39% from three on 6.2 attempts per game. He was finally given a bigger role and
thrived on it.
BI and Zion were surrounded by a good
cast of both young players and veterans which on paper made them seem like a
lock for the playoffs. However, with Zion missing most of the season and an
UTTER collapse in the bubble (even with the easiest schedule), the Pelicans
were once again watching playoff basketball at home.
Despite a disappointing end to the
season, the building blocks for a serious contender has been laid. So, let’s
look back at all the moves and important details that contributed to this up
and down season.
May 14th - 2019 NBA
Draft Lottery.
Our journey begins here at one of the
weirdest lotteries ever. The Pelicans got the first pick despite only having a
6% chance of doing so. That’s crazy man.
June 22nd - 2019 NBA
Draft & Rookies.
The Pelicans had the 1st and 57th pick
in the draft and took Zion Williamson and Jordan Bone (PG) respectively.
However, thanks to some trades in the weeks following the draft the Pelicans
were also able to obtain Jaxson Hayes (8th), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17th).
They also picked up undrafted rookies Nicolo Melli and Zyaln Cheatham.
Just in case you forgot here’s the video of Jaxson Hayes telling the NBA to suck his dick. LMAOOO
Preseason:
Trades
July 6th - Three team trade:
|
Pelicans get |
Lakers get |
Wizards get |
|
|
|
|
|
Lonzo Ball (Lakers) |
Anthony Davis (Pelicans) |
Isaac Bonga (Lakers) |
|
Josh Hart (Lakers) |
|
Jermerrio Jones (Lakers) |
|
Brandon Ingram (Lakers) |
|
Moritz Wagner (Lakers) |
|
2019 4th overall pick (De’Andre Hunter) |
|
2022 2nd round pick (Lakers) |
|
Cash Considerations (both Wizards & Lakers) |
|
|
|
2021 1st
round pick (Lakers) |
|
|
|
2023 1st
round pick (Lakers) |
|
|
|
2024 1st
round pick (Lakers) |
|
|
July 7th - The Pelicans trade Deandre Hunter, Solomon
Hill, Jordan Bone, and a 2023 2nd round pick to the Hawks in exchange for
Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Marcos Louzada Silva, and a 2020
Cavaliers 1st round pick (31-45 protected).
NB - If the Cleveland pick doesn’t convey in 2020
then it will become two 2nd round picks in 2021 and 2022.
July 7th - The Pelicans trade a 2021 & 2023 2nd
round pick (both from the Warriors) to the Jazz for Derrick Favors.
The Pelicans absolutely NAILED all
these preseason trades. They were able to get young talent to help grow with
Zion. Favors, Haynes, and Alexander-Walker are all good role players and both
Ball and Hart improved from their last season with the Lakers.
Signings
July 15th - The Pelicans sign veteran marksman J.J.Redick to a 2-year $26.5 million contract. He quietly had his most effective
season since his 2015-16 campaign with the Clippers. He shot 45.3% from both
the field and from three. (10.5 FGA and 6.6 3PA).
July 21st - The Pelicans sign Darius Miller (SF) to a
2-year $14.25 million contract.
Mid-season
Trades &
Signings - Nothing to report.
March 11th - The season is suspended because of COVID19.
Overtime Notes
August 15th - The Pelicans fire their head coach Alvin
Gentry after five seasons with the team. He only made the playoffs once and was
an overall below-average coach during his tenure.
October 22nd - The Pelicans hired veteran coach and the
older Van Gundy brother, Stan Van Gundy to be their head coach. He’s best known
for his tenure in Orlando where he coached Dwight Howard and company to the
Finals in 2008-09. This is a good signing as Stan brings years of experience
and winning to the team. Let’s hope he can bring out the best in Zion as he did
with Dwight.
Offseason:
Before Draft
The Pelicans held the 13th pick along
with a plethora of 2nd round picks (three to be exact.) I thought the main area to address would be
the PG position. Lonzo is a restricted free agent next season and he still struggles
shooting the ball efficiently. He’s an elite passer and defender and one of the
best rebounding guards in the league, but if he can’t score the ball then he’s
still a liability, especially in today’s fast-paced, high-scoring version of
the game. A point guard would help take the pressure off Ball and take some
minutes away from Frank Jackson (he seems more of a two-guard to me).
I thought either Cole Anthony or Kira
Lewis Jr. would be a great addition to this young roster. I was leaning more
towards Lewis Jr. because I think he would be the safer option as Anthony has
shown a habit of suspect shot selection, but Anthony does have a higher
ceiling.
November 18th - 2020 NBA Draft
The Pelicans selected Kira Lewis Jr.
with the 13th pick. Hey look, I got one right. Can I be an NBA Analyst now? I
will mention their 2nd round picks in next year's piece so stay tuned.
Free Agency
This picture was taken from hipanosnba.com if you want more information click this link -> https://en.hispanosnba.com/salaries/new-orleans-pelicans
So, as I’m sure you heard already that
the Pelicans were extremely active in the offseason. They traded Jrue Holiday
to the Bucks for a king’s ransom and then traded for and extended Steven Adams.
However, I’m not going to go in-depth into those moves because if I did what
will I talk about next year?
Their main goal coming into free
agency was to resign Brandon Ingram and they achieved that with a 5-year $158
million contract. They lost Favors but they got Adams in return who's a
better replacement. But I honestly didn’t think about many free agents for New
Orleans, I didn’t think they would trade Holiday and trade for Adams. But now
they have a great blend of experience and youth to work with next season.
However, I do have concerns about
their PG position. The addition of both Bledsoe and Lewis Jr. brings many
questions regarding the rotation. Who’s going to get more minutes? Who’s going
to start? Will Lewis Jr. stay in the G-league this season? Who knows? But it
does look like Hart will start at SG which is exciting as I think he will
flourish with more minutes and shot opportunities. If he could become a 16
point per game scoring next season, then he could be in line for a decent 2nd
contract. One move I do think they
should make is trying to trade for a backup SF to play behind Ingram.
Final Thoughts.
I think that this season could be huge
for the Pelicans. The only thing holding them back is the health of their key
players (Zion, Ball, Ingram.) A full season of Zion will be a big boost as he
would hopefully be of a minute's restrictions. Besides making the playoffs the
Pelicans also need to properly develop their young talent as only three of the
players have more than four years of experience in the league.
In a tough Western conference, I do
think the Pelicans can compete for the 8th seed at the bare minimum. Also, I
can totally see the Pelicans trading Lonzo at the trade deadline to the Knicks
for some picks if he doesn’t improve.
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