Currently speaking, the New Orleans Pelicans are in a tightly contested horse race with five different teams all vying for similar spots out in the Western Conference. A simple win could potentially jolt the Pelicans passed the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City and Portland Trailblazers in the standings. A loss could mean dropping out of the playoff picture entirely by falling behind the ninth seeded LA Clippers. It’s no wonder the Western Conference has the stigma of being “tough”. A bad string of games is all it takes to derail a franchises entire season. Only the best of teams manage to stay afloat. Now, as the NBA Trade deadline approaches, organizations are sorting through the leagues “chopping-block” in search of that special individual they believe could be of some assistance to their ball club. As for the Pelicans, is it possible that doing nothing is their best course of action this season?
Last year, the New Orleans Pelicans pulled off the unthinkable and dealt for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins for what seemed (still seems) like pennies; Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and a first and second round pick in 2017. They acquired the talented big to run alongside Anthony Davis and wreak havoc against other teams front-courts. Although it took some time, it appears as though finally the pair has caught their strides.
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On the season, both AD and Boogie are performing incredibly. Davis is averaging 25.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 2.1 BPG while Cousins is stuffing the stat-sheet entirely with 25.9 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.5 SPG and 1.6 BPG. With this, coupled with great contributions by Jrue Holiday (17.9 PPG, 5.1 APG), Rajon Rondo (7.7 PPG, 8.1 APG) and E’Twaun Moore (13.3 PPG on 45% 3-point percentage) NOLA finds themselves with a 20-20 record and are current holders of the eighth-seed in the West.
While a .500 record isn’t anything to get too jolly about, the season still has three more months left to it. This, in turn, could help NOLA add to their win total. This years successes will have serious impacts on the future for the New Orleans Pelicans. If they can somehow improve going forward with the season and make the playoffs, their future trajectory seems to be headed upwards. However, if they end the season on the outside looking in, trouble in the “Big-Easy” could be on the horizon.
For months now we have heard rumors brewing about the possibility of Anthony Davis leaving New Orleans. Countless times these topics have sprung up into our news feeds, and countless times Davis himself has curbed these ideas, showing the loyalty in which he has towards NOLA. However, if the Pelicans miss out on the postseason for the third straight season, the idea of leaving the Pelicans may grow to sound more enticing in the mind of Anthony Davis.
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At the end of this season DeMarcus Cousins will become an unrestricted free-agent. With this, the All-Star will be able to choose his next destination and, believe me, a plethora of franchises will be trying to attain his services. If the Pelicans fall out of the playoff standings at the end of the season, Cousins could feel less enticed to re-up with the franchise. If Cousins ends up jumping ship, Davis could soon follow. And, If Davis leaves, New Orleans will be left with nothing but underwhelmed fans and unachieved goals. This would spell the end to a playoff hopeful Pelicans team, and the beginning of their second rebuild in seven years.
So now, with all this in mind, one may be thinking, “well then the Pelicans should scour the trading-block and try and bring in some players who can help the team make the playoffs!” With this, I have one answer; “who would we bring in?”
Lets face it, the players that the Pelicans can afford to trade for are really not worth their time, or their assets! I mean come on, who would they trade for? Mario Hezonja? Loul Deng? I would say maybe Wilson Chandler but with his expiring contract, he would only be a short term player and not worth giving up a future draft pick for.
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The players on the block that could have a major impact on the team (Kemba Walker, Jordan Clarkson, etc) are all out of New Orleans’ price-range. If they were to actually try and acquire a player such as Walker or Clarkson, they would have to give up multiple future assets as well as key pieces to their team. This in turn could and, probably would, ruin the chemistry the team has built and continues to build.
With this, maybe the Pelicans best course of action would be to tread lightly. They’re already competing with four other teams for playoff positioning. Where they are right now is not necessarily great, but it’s definitely not bad. As the season continues the teams chemistry will continue to grow. So far this season NOLA, when healthy, has played very well, better than their record would have you believe.
They currently rank fourth in the entire league in points-per-game (110.6 PPG), second in assists-per-game (26.4 APG), second in field-goal percentage (48.9%) and seventh in three-point percentage (37.5%).
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Are the Pelicans a perfect team? Of course not! However, even being imperfect, they needn’t go and do anything rash come deadline day. They hold one of the best offenses the league has to offer. When healthy, they are a force to be reckoned with. If they went out and traded for someone at, or around, the deadline it could potentially disturb the chemistry currently residing in New Orleans. If the chemistry gets disturbed, losses could begin to become more frequent. And, with an abundance of losses comes another season ending in disappointment.
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Again, the Pelicans are not perfect; far from it! But, with this, sometimes it’s better to try and work with what you have rather than forcing something that may not fit. Hearing your team should stay silent at the trade deadline definitely is not the most exciting thing for a fan to hear. However, in the case of the New Orleans Pelicans, it turns out that excitement could lead to catastrophe. At this years trade deadline, the New Orleans Pelicans should in fact stand pat!