How the 2013 Draft Could Have Changed the New Orleans Pelicans

What could have been…

There are 14 teams in the NBA that wish they could do the 2013 draft over and the New Orleans Pelicans are probably one of them.

This is the number of teams that passed on future MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo before he was finally chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th pick.

It would be silly to drag the New Orleans Pelicans or any other team for not selecting the Greek Freak.

At the time, he was a total unknown, had not played against top competition and his highlight reel looked like he was playing against high school kids.

But let’s imagine for just a minute if the New Orleans Pelicans had selected Giannis and paired him with Davis.

Who knows, it might not have worked.

Davis might hot have relished playing center along Antetokounmpo and the Greek Freak may not have thrived as much as he has being surrounded by shooters in Milwaukee.

It’s also unclear if the Pelicans would be a better team than they are now, as Davis might have still demanded a trade and Holiday has been very good for the Pelicans.

But… the Pelicans could currently have two of the top-five players in the NBA, including the reigning and probably future MVP of the league.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where this pairing wouldn’t work, especially considering the Pelicans could have still added players around them while The Brow and The Freak were on their rookie-scale contracts.

For evidence of how this might have turned out, just look at the current Lakers, who are versatile on both ends of the floor and were able to put a championship-caliber team around two top-five players who definitely aren’t on rookie contracts.

Let’s face it, Antetokounmpo would have been a great addition to any team, but pairing him with Davis would have made the New Orleans Pelicans a title contender almost right away.