David Griffin took over as Vice President of Basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans just over a year ago. Let’s look at how he has fared so far.
David Griffin is obviously excited about the opportunity he’s been given with the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as the future of his young and talented team.
The Pelicans officially hired David Griffin on April 17, 2019 and basically asked him to do what he had done in Cleveland: Build a championship team in a small market.
After the disastrous DeMarcus Cousins trade, it was clear that the New Orleans Pelicans didn’t trust GM Dell Demps to get the job done, so they brought in David Griffin, knowing Anthony Davis was on his way out the door.
Griffin had been candid about his relationship with LeBron James and the difficulty of dealing with a megastar from a front office perspective.
David Griffin seemed beaten down by the end of his time in Cleveland, and no one other than LeBron was more relieved when the Cavs won their first team title in 2016.
Griffin looked forward to a fresh start and got one when he was tasked with wiping the slate clean in New Orleans and making the biggest NBA trade of the last decade.
David Griffin didn’t waste any time putting his stamp on the roster, and most agree that the New Orleans Pelicans did as well as could be expected in the Davis trade, seeing that they lacked leverage over a guy who had requested his way out of town.
But the Davis trade wasn’t even close to the end of Griffin’s maneuvering, as few executives changed a roster as much as Griffin changed the New Orleans Pelicans.
In just one offseason, 14 different Pelicans were replaced, an entire roster’s worth of players, yet the Pelicans were still in the playoff hunt, which is a testament to the work David Griffin has done.
Let’s take a look at his moves and grade as a Pelican so far.
What David Griffin has done for the New Orleans Pelicans so far…
There wasn’t another team in the NBA that had as much roster churn as the New Orleans Pelicans over the last year.
Since last summer David Griffin has totally overhauled the roster, changing it from a team built around Davis to one built around ascending youth.
Here’s a timeline of Griffin’s moves:
April 17, 2019: David Griffin is hired by the New Orleans Pelicans
May 19, 2019: Griffin hires Trajan Langdon as General Manager. Langdon is a smart, talented young executive who knows the game and the players. This was a savvy hire as several other teams were after Langdon, who was one of the hottest candidates in the league.
June 6, 2019: Griffin drafts Zion Williamson and starts the foundation of the team. David Griffin cannot be given too much credit for this, as the New Orleans Pelicans got super lucky to win the lottery at all, much less in a year that had a consensus superstar.
June 30, 2019: Signed Nicolo Melli. Melli was an under-the-radar player in the EuroLeague who Griffin took a chance on. He saw Mellli had a couple of skills (namely 3-point shooting) that would translate to the NBA and he was right. Melli had a solid first season off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans.
July 1, 2019: Griffin signed Zion in another no-brainer move.
July 6, 2019: Griffin trades Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first round draft picks. Even at the time this looked like a historic haul for the New Orleans Pelicans, but now it looks even better, as all three players have improved. Usually the team who gets the best player wins the trade, but in this case both teams made out well for the short-term and the Pelicans won the trade decisively in the long-term. This trade gave the Pelicans the most exciting young team in the league and the timelines of Ingram and Ball work perfectly with Zoin. Most teams who give up the superstar lose the trade, but this was one of the exceptions, as most Pels fans wouldn’t trade rosters with the Lakers.
July 7, 2019: David Griffin continues to put his stamp on the New Orleans Pelicans. He traded Traded Jordan Bone, Solomon Hill, De’Andre Hunter and a 2023 2nd round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes, Marcos Louzada Silva and a 2020 1st round draft pick. This one is pending but looks really good for the Pelicans. They may end up with the best player in this trade in either NAW or Hayes AND a first round pick. Nice work, Griffin.
July 15, 2019: Griffin’s busy July continued. He signed veteran J.J. Redick in a coup, as Redick was one of the most sought after free agents and everyone assumed he would go to a contender who needed a 3-point shooter. In a surprising move, Redick chose the New Orleans Pelicans, and a lot of credit has to be given to Griffin.
July 15, 2019: Griffin waives Christian Wood. Oops. This was probably Griffin’s biggest mistake so far, as Wood blew up for Detroit, especially after they traded Andre Drummond.
July 21, 2019: Griffin signed forward Darius Miller. This move has not worked out for the New Orleans Pelicans thus far, as Miller was injured shortly after signing the deal. The Pelicans have until July 8 to either waive Miller or fully guarantee his $7 million contract. Miller seemed like a good signing at the time, but his injury and salary make this one look bad in retrospect.
July 24, 2019: Griffin signs Josh Gray and Zylan Cheatham to 2-way deals. Cheatham is an intriguing prospect, as he is just 24 and could provide many of the things the Pelicans need from a backup wing. It will be interesting to see if he gets a chance to make the rotation next season.
David Griffin’s grade as a Pelican so far…
It’s hard to look at what David Griffin has done for the New Orleans Pelicans and not be impressed. Not only did he completely rebuild the team on the fly, but has constructed a competitive roster that is young, talented and fun to watch.
Few teams in the NBA are as talented and entertaining as the New Orleans Pelicans and a lot of credit has to be given to Griffin.
Outside of waiving Wood and signing Miller, just about every move Griffin has made has been a homerun, from getting maximum value for Davis to fleecing Atlanta in a draft day trade.
Griffin also seems a lot more relaxed and to enjoy the New Orleans Pelicans much more than he did Cleveland, where he was under constant pressure to win immediately and had to deal with the demands of the league’s marquee player.
This offseason will be a big one for the Pelicans, as they have some clear weaknesses that will need to be addressed in free agency, trades or in the draft.
For now David Griffin looks like the right guy to get the job done, as he has been masterful thus far and given fans in New Orleans one of the best teams in the league to support.
We’ll see how Griffin grades out next season with another full offseason under his belt, but if he continues killing it like he has so far, the New Orleans Pelicans might be on their way to a dynasty.