Chicago Bulls/Anthony Davis trade looks good for Pelicans in 3 years

A trade where the Pelicans acquire either Porter Jr. or LaVine and re-sign Dunn at about $15 million would give them approximately $60 million in cap space entering Zion’s second contract.

The Pelicans will want to be loaded going into Zion’s fourth season, right before his max contract extension kicks in. Jrue would count for $27 million. Assume Dunn comes back at about $15 million after matching a restricted free agent offer sheet. LaVine’s cap hit would be $19.5 million. Markkanen and Carter Jr. combined would make less than $12 million.

New Orleans would sit at $73 million, in a cap projected to top $120 million. An extension for Holiday for loyalty’s sake would be acceptable and not hamper the cap sheet going forward. Retaining Markkanen would account for a good portion of that space, possibly decreasing the Pelicans’ cap space by about $10 million.

Still, the New Orleans Pelicans would be in decent financial shape. Being positioned well going into Williamson’s second contract is paramount to success. Good players on a range of reasonable wages will help the front office maintain roster flexibility going forward. Matching salaries in a potential trade is difficult if the average values skew to the two extremes.

Elfrid Payton and Frank Jackson could be retained by giving them slight raises. Dunn could have his stock elevated working with Holiday and Williamson, netting the Pelicans another first round pick at the trade deadline. Payton and Jackson would need to show themselves as capable starter material first, however.

Replace LaVine’s contract with Porter Jr.’s $28 million, and give Dunn $20 million. The Pelicans still have a max slot available for Zion’s prime, plus some wiggle room along with all the mid-level and tax payer exceptions. Julius Randle could stick around if Gayle Benson wants to work her wallet and team accountants overtime.

Again, Porter Jr. would be hitting restricted free agency, so the New Orleans Pelicans’ biggest decision when trading Anthony Davis to the Chicago Bulls would come years after the trade happened. Would New Orleans trade Porter Jr. beforehand, or gamble that his market is around $30 million a year as his game turns 30 years old?

Would a combination of Markkanen and LaVine or Porter Jr. be the best fit to begin Zion’s prime years? Add Holiday to the mix and it very well could be when considering financial and roster flexibility. Either way, don’t be surprised if you hear rumors linking Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans to the Chicago Bulls in the coming weeks.