The Pelicans plan to be very active in free agency this offseason
By Joshua Lea
The New Orleans Pelicans are planning to be very active in free agency. They’ll look to resign two players and add more role players to take the next step.
The New Orleans Pelicans are looking to build off the success they had this season. They’ve already started the process of making a significant impact next season. The Pelicans picked up the 2018-19 option for head coach Alvin Gentry for next season.
While the overall success of Gentry hasn’t shown until this season, the Pelicans and the players all believe in Gentry as their head coach. I would assume that the general manager Dell Demps either had a conversation with Anthony Davis or at the very least gave him a heads up.
Nevertheless, this offseason is going to be vital to the success of the Pelicans next season. Both Demps and Gentry were vocal about their desire to bring back DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo next season. Also, resigning Ian Clark is a priority for NOLA.
The NBA free agent market is going to be a competitive one. It will almost rival the regular season in terms of “who is going where”. Still, the Pelicans advancing to the second-round is a good way to lure free agents despite the size of the New Orleans Market.
You tend to hear that NBA players always want to play for either New York or Los Angeles. However, that is simply not the case right now. LeBron James has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and Enes Kanter invited James to join the Knicks recently. That doesn’t mean that this is going to happen, James could very well stay in Cleveland.
Free Agents that New Orleans should consider signing
In the case of New Orleans, they don’t have to lure a James or Paul George type player. They simply need to resign Cousins and Rondo and bring in some valuable role players. One player that could help boost the bench for the Pelicans is Will Barton. Barton averaged 15.7 points a game last season for the Denver Nuggets. He shot 45% from the floor and 37% from three. This would be a great addition to the Pelicans second unit.
Another three-point scoring threat that is an unrestricted free agent this summer is Wayne Ellington. Ellington would be another great addition to the second unit. Last season, Ellington averaged 11.2 points a game for the Miami Heat. He can stretch the floor and shoot the three. This is something that NOLA needs consistently.
Getting a serviceable back up for Anthony Davis should also be important for the Pelicans. I highly doubt they’ll bring back Emeka Okafor next season. The free agent market has plenty of post-players like Nerlens Noel, Brook Lopez, Ed Davis, Greg Monroe, and Dewayne Dedmon.
Next: The Pelicans playoff success was huge for them
If you are anything like me, you tend to geek-out on the offseason rumors, trades, and potential signings. This offseason will be a fun one. I’ll be interested to see what the Pelicans do going forward. The players can’t officially opt-out and begin their moves until July 1st. This means we have a month and a half to talk about all the rumors.