How the 2013 Draft Could Have Changed the New Orleans Pelicans

Would Giannis have been better for the New Orleans Pelicans in the long-term?

This is a very interesting question.

It’s impossible to know if choosing Giannis would have tempted Davis to stay or if The Brow was always destined to play in a bigger market.

While Giannis seems to be happy as the big fish in Milwaukee, Davis never seemed comfortable in New Orleans and may have forced his way out either way.

Let’s say that the Pelicans still would have traded Davis to the Lakers and gotten the same haul, then the Pelicans would largely have the same team that they have now, only built around the Greek Freak.

The starting lineup could potentially be something like Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Giannis and Derrick Favors.

One obvious omission from this lineup is Zion, who likely wouldn’t be a member of the New Orleans Pelicans if they had selected Giannis.

If they had selected and kept Giannis, then they wouldn’t have lost the draft pick they traded for Holiday, which means they could have built around Antetokounmpo in the 2014 and 2015 drafts.

They likely wouldn’t have had a high pick in 2016, which would have stopped them from trading for DeMarcus Cousins, which means two more potential first round picks in 2017 and 2018.

The team would have almost certainly not been in a position to win the lottery in 2019, which means no Zion in The Big Easy.

The question is, would you take the current team with Giannis but no Zion or roll the dice that Zion is a future MVP and keep what the New Orleans Pelicans currently have?

It’s a very tough decision to make, as Giannis is obviously the better player at this point in his career, but Zion is a walking economy, highlight reel and the most exciting young player in the league.

So many teams miss in the draft that this exercise could be done for any franchise in the NBA.

But for the New Orleans Pelicans, no draft helped shape their current team as much as the 2013 draft and we’ll always wonder what could have been and if we’d even want it.

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Thanks for reading and your continued support in these trying times. Stay healthy and safe!