Big issue 1: Who could have imagined that the affable and uber-talented Anthony Davis would wind up so toxic by the time his run with the Pelicans ended? But here we are. Davis’ flubbed attempt to force his way out of New Orleans at the end of January tarnished his reputation and torpedoed the seasons of three teams — the Pelicans, Lakers and Celtics, who were all involved in the Davis pursuit.
Those three teams were a combined 86-77 on the day of the trade deadline. Since the deadline passed without a deal, they’ve gone a combined 32-48.
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Yet, like the Maltese Falcon, the Hope Diamond and black cats, Davis will be much coveted this offseason despite his recent history of bringing misfortune to whomever possesses his rights. Such is the way of the NBA when it comes to multi-talented 7-footers.
The Pelicans will monitor developments in other markets in the coming months. They know there will be a package of young players — at least including Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, with draft picks surely added — on the table from the Lakers.
They’ll monitor what happens with the top pick in the NBA Draft lottery. Should it go to the Knicks, the Pelicans will weigh whether dealing Davis for Duke sensation Zion Williamson and future picks might be the best rebuilding option.
The Celtics, too, will be in the running, but this season has been a mess for Boston, which is also dealing with Kyrie Irving’s free agency. Would the Celtics give up young star Jayson Tatum and another player, plus picks, with no assurance that Irving will be staying and, further, no assurance that Davis will stay when he hits free agency next summer?
Davis’ future has loomed over the franchise for more than a year. Within a few months, a decision will be rendered and Davis’ Pelicans career will, mercifully, be over.
Big issue 2: So, who’s going to make that decision?
The Pelicans could stick with Danny Ferry, who replaced Dell Demps on an interim basis after Demps was fired when Davis walked out on the team with a minor injury during a game in February. Ferry has a solid front-office resume, but this franchise could be due for a complete shake-up.
Former Cavs GM David Griffin is the biggest free-agent executive out there, and he has garnered consideration. Gersson Rosas, who was briefly the Mavs’ GM in 2013 and has been vice president of basketball operation for Daryl Morey’s Rockets, is also a frontrunner.
The Pelicans could go for an entirely new face, like 42-year-old Trajan Langdon of the Nets. With Brooklyn, Langdon accrued some experience in building up a franchise lacking in young assets, which is the situation in New Orleans.
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Whomever lands the job will have multiple decisions to make beyond choosing a Davis trade. The team needs to make a call on coach Alvin Gentry, who is likely out after the season, and figure out whether the goal will be to dive deep into a rebuild or try to turn things around quickly.
If a wholesale rebuild is the goal, point guard Jrue Holiday will also be on the trade market, and multiple teams would pounce. Collecting young assets and picks would be the top priority.
But bringing in a new general manager will be the first order of business. The choice should tell us something about what direction the team will pick.
Free-agent outlook: Julius Randle has a player option for next season that he is likely to exercise, and unless the team decides to go fully into tanking, Randle would be worth bringing back. The team has an option for $1.7 million on Jahlil Okafor, and at that number, he’d be worth keeping, too.
Beyond that, the team must determine if any of the young projects it took on in the second half of the year — Christian Wood, Stanley Johnson — are worth bringing back, along with its own fringe young players like Cheick Diallo and Kenrich Williams.
Generally, though, the Pelicans won’t have much cap space and, given the tumult of the past year, won’t be much of a free-agent destination this summer.
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The young folks: This is a major issue as the Pelicans head into their rebuild. Randle is a decent piece, but he’s 24 (not so young) and a free agent.
Frank Jackson, finally healthy, is only 20 and has shown some promise now that he’s able to take the floor. But that’s it, really. Demps bartered away all his young talent to put veterans around Davis in a win-now approach. The Pelicans have their first-round picks intact, but they don’t have young players ready to be developed.
Wait till next year: It’s conceivable that the Pelicans could compete for a playoff spot in the West next season, if Randle comes back and they add the likes of Ingram/Kuzma or Tatum/Jaylen Brown to Holiday, who has developed into a near All-Star guard in the West. They probably would not have the depth to crack the top eight, but they could win 40-ish games.
Or it could be a season of intentional misery in New Orleans, if acquiring Williamson and trading Holiday is on the docket. Either way, the Anthony Davis era will end in New Orleans mostly as an utter failure. Time to move on.