Gayle Benson has decided to get serious about the New Orleans Pelicans. Picking the name and colors were just a start. The next big thing is next year’s roster.
Enough time has been wasted. The New Orleans Pelicans are getting serious about building a top level organization. The hiring of David Griffin gave direction to the top-down approach to building a solid basketball culture. The Pelicans are burning the wick at both ends,and are building a roster foundation from the bottom up.
Griffin has brought in Aaron Nelson to lead the training department. More additions to the front office support staff are in the works. The roster composition will take patience, as key off season dates trigger certain deadlines and anxieties.
Barring a huge change of heart by Anthony Davis, Griffin has many unknowns at the top end of his roster. The best case hope next season from a competitive standpoint is Davis, Jrue Holiday, and a third star leading the young developing talent from last season. The worst case is having no star at all, while the most likely case is Jrue Holiday topping the marquee and the salary sheet.
The Pelicans’ future is wholly dependent on the Davis trade haul. Once that is complete, if ever, there will be room to build a competitive roster. The Pelicans’ roster middle-class and bench depth will be filled out by a few holdovers, a couple draft picks, and a possible summer league team standout. These players will be fighting for roster spots 9 through 13.
Jrue will lead the team and is number one in the fan’s hearts. The second and third options for next season likely come from the Davis trade haul. The fourth option is up for grabs. The summer league will be crucial for several players on the end of the roster. Prized draft picks usually get plenty of run to make rookie mistakes.
Perhaps, Kenrich Williams (age 24, salary $1,416,852 not fully guaranteed), Frank Jackson (age 20, $1,618,520), or Christian Wood (age 23, $1,645,357) make a developmental leap. The team holds a team option on Dairis Bertans (age 29, $1,416,852), but he is a known quantity.
The Pelicans’ roster could be versatile if Jahlil Okafor (age 23, $1,567,007), Stanley Johnson (age 22, $3,940,40), or Cheick Diallo (age 22, $1,544,951) provide quality minutes. If they provide obligatory minutes (hey, someone has to play out the season), then the Pelicans will be back in the lottery and trading Jrue Holiday next offseason.
Playoff rotations are usually trimmed to the top eight players. In order to be competitive, the Pelicans need one of the prospects of years past to make a jump to solid contributor. Jackson, Okafor, and Wood showed the most promise to fill that need at the end the 2018-2019 season.
However, several of those players could be traded or optioned to the G-League. This is the current depth chart, working from the bottom of the bench towards the lead chair.
"13. Dairis Bertans12. Kenrich Williams11. Cheick Diallo10. Jahlil Okafor9. Stanley Johnson8. Christian Wood7. Frank Jackson6. E’Twaun Moore…1. Jrue Holiday"
Jrue is going to lead the team and is the Pelicans Peoples’ Champ, no doubt.
The second star through the sixth man roles are up for grabs. Julius Randle has a player option to fill one spot. Trevon Bluiett could push someone off the roster. Darius Miller and Ian Clark will have to take pay cuts to keep their spots, especially if the Davis trade brings back two starters from a playoff team.
E’Twaun Moore is due approximately $8 million in the last year on his contract. Moore is always useful as serviceable bench depth to help with continuity into the next era. Davis will bring back at least a couple players to round out the remaining spots.
It’s likely the New Orleans Pelicans’ top draft picks will push someone else down the minutes list or off the roster. Elfrid Payton would be welcomed back as a sixth man to play as Jrue’s occasional sidekick. The rest is still to be determined, including whether or not it will be a playoff caliber roster that David Griffin ultimately puts together.