A Year Ago the New Orleans Pelicans Were a Completely Different Team

The New Orleans Pelicans make a blockbuster trade…

Anthony Davis’ time with the New Orleans Pelicans was up and down but mostly down. General Manager Dell Demps repeatedly failed to build a good team around Davis and eventually The Brow whined until he got his one way ticket out of town.

This may seem harsh, as Davis was certainly good for the Pelicans, but it gets old watching player after player leave small markets for the easy money and team building on the coasts.

Watching “The Last Dance” was a reminder of how players used to struggle to win titles, building a team slowly and suffering heartbreaking (and entertaining) defeats before finally breaking through.

Davis couldn’t be bothered and ran off to L.A. to team up with LeBron. So much for the struggle.

But this was one of the few situations in which the small market team with the superstar actually got a good return for him.

The Pelicans traded Davis for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three first round picks, a haul that instantly rebuilt the roster.

Davis is great, but we think the Pelicans won that trade handily, especially when you consider the improvements of Ingram, Ball and Hart along with the huge amounts of draft capital the Pels were able to acquire.

The New Orleans Pelicans are an exciting, fast team whose fans don’t miss Davis one bit. In fact, most Pels fans would gladly keep the players they have than return to the 33 win, Davis-led team that was going nowhere.

Most teams don’t go through these types of transformations and come out the other side better, but the New Orleans Pelicans managed to lose their superstar along with 13 other players and still have a better roster the next season.

The New Orleans Pelicans are a different, better team than they were a year ago today. They are more exciting, more likable and have more potential than they ever have.

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!