Lessons Learned From New Orleans Pelicans Past Stars Recent Trades
Anthony Davis was the reward for bottoming out after Chris Paul left for Los Angeles. Zion Williamson now replaces Davis as the New Orleans Pelicans star attraction.
The New Orleans Pelicans were a franchise at a crossroads. After signing with Klutch Sports, a trade demand was all but expected. The team started the season well, but injuries took a toll and the record suffered. Eventually, Anthony Davis officially demanded a trade during an already tumultuous season.
Dell Demps tried to build playoff-caliber rosters around Anthony Davis. Injuries plagued the team just as much as a lack of quality depth, robbing the team of top-end talent far too often. The top six players spent far too little time playing together in moments that mattered.
Ryan Anderson, Tyreke Evans, and Eric Gordon spent too much of their time in New Orleans sporting suits instead of sweating out regular-season wins. DeMarcus Cousins’ Achilles injury killed any chances of upsetting the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.
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Anthony Davis is also a bit fragile, going to the locker room far too often for seemingly minor bumps and bruises. His reluctance to play down low negated much of the team’s potential even if it did risk a more serious Davis injury.
The New Orleans Pelicans need their new star duo of Jrue Holiday and Zion Williamson to be comfortable playing in their best positions. The team has to build close to a perfect roster around those two this summer. As the NBA evolves, so will the roster.
The New Orleans Pelicans will want a different outcome than what resulted from Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. The Thunder and Russell Westbrook are left unfulfilled as well, though they remained together until the bitter end.
Winning a playoff series once a decade will satisfy neither Zion nor the fans. Losing Zion after only a few years would be disastrous. Davis, Paul, and Westbrook are three good examples of almost but not quite player-team relationships.
The New Orleans Pelicans can learn a lesson from each situation that will help make the Williamson era a success. San Antonio almost lost Tim Duncan at the end of the David Robinson era. The Pelicans do not want to see Holiday and Williamson depart at the same time.
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They should not have to suffer through another trade saga. Griffin has taken an approach that could bring multiple titles while allowing Williamson to be the latest star to maintain a one-team career.