A Year Ago the New Orleans Pelicans Were a Completely Different Team
The New Orleans Pelicans have a Draft for the Ages
Though the New Orleans Pelicans hadn’t officially traded Davis, the writing was on the wall as soon as they got the number one pick.
Everyone on the planet knew the Pelicans were choosing Zion Williamson and they did, taking the transcendent rookie number one overall.
Related Story. Who the Pelicans should have drafted every year since 2003. light
But the Pelicans weren’t done there.
They acquired Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 pick), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 17 pick) and Marcos Louzada Silva (No. 35 pick) from the Atlanta Hawks for De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick — acquired in trade with Lakers).
So in one draft the New Orleans Pelicans got a superstar who will be the next face of the NBA, an athletic, exciting big in Hayes and the possible shooting guard of the future in NAW. They also picked up an intriguing project in Silva who may make an impact as early as next season.
By this point the Davis trade was probably already done and the details were starting to leak and the New Orleans Pelicans were in asset acquisition mode.
Few teams add as much talent and potential in one draft, which is one of the reasons the current Pelicans look nothing like they did a year ago at this time.
The other reason was one of the biggest trades in NBA history.