New Orleans Pelicans: Best and Worst Transactions of the Last 3 Years
New Orleans Pelicans: Best and Worst Transactions of 2018-19
Most franchises can point to a year that changed the entire course of the franchise. This was that year for the New Orleans Pelicans, as they cleaned house and started with a fresh slate.
The year started quietly, but once the calendar flipped to 2019, the Pelicans started making big moves.
Best Moves
February 15, 2019
The first move to kick off the re-tool was to fire GM Dell Demps. This was a good move for several reasons, the first being that Demps was not great in his time in New Orleans.
His failure to build a consistent winner around Davis, coupled with the awful Boogie trade were the final straws for Demps.
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The Pelicans obviously knew they were going to trade Davis, and didn’t trust Demps to handle it after the Boogie Cousins debacle.
April 17, 2019
The Pelicans hired current Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin, which was heralded as a great hire at the time and and is still considered one now.
Griffin was the architect of Cleveland’s 2016 title and the Pelicans hoped he could revamp the franchise by finding the perfect spot for Davis, which he did.
Worst Move
February 7th, 2019
The New Orleans Pelicans waived Markieff Morris.
This didn’t seem like a notable move at the time and many would claim it still wasn’t, but when you look at Morris’ contract and production, he’s one of the most valuable players in the NBA.
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Morris made a combined $3.6 million last season for the Pistons and Lakers, putting up 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range.
The New Orleans Pelicans currently have 3-and-D wing near the top of their wish list and they could have just had Morris, who outplayed his contract and could have been valuable contributor.