The New Orleans Pelicans had the appearance of a budding powerhouse two seasons ago. Carried by superstar big man Anthony Davis, they made the playoffs in 2015 with a young core of players. Later that spring, they fired Monty Williams and replaced him with Warriors assistant and offensive guru Alvin Gentry with the expectation of making deep playoff runs.
Heading into the summer of 2017, the Pelicans are at a crossroads. A combination of injuries, questionable roster decisions, and underperforming players have led to two consecutive losing seasons.
The surprising and bold move to acquire DeMarcus Cousins at the trade deadline didn’t pay immediate dividends. But the combination of Cousins and Davis makes the Pelicans one of the most intriguing teams in the league.
Here’s a look at the major questions confronting the club this offseason:
1. Can the Pelicans sign unrestricted free agent Jrue Holiday?
The Pelicans have made it clear they want to re-sign Holiday, who has been highly productive when he’s been able to stay out of the trainer’s room. Holiday hasn’t played more than 67 games in the past four seasons, but averaged 15.4 PPG and 7.3 APG in 2016/17.
All indications suggest the Pelicans believe Holiday is the point guard who can keep both Davis and Cousins happy in the Twin Towers attack.
The Pelicans hold Holiday’s Bird rights, allowing them to offer more money and years than any other club. They’ll still have stiff competition for his services. It has been reported that the Mavericks covet Holiday and will make him a substantial offer, and other suitors figure to be in the mix as well.
There are several other starter-level floor leaders on the market if Holiday decides to go elsewhere. Losing Holiday wouldn’t necessarily be disastrous, but the Pelicans would prefer to have continuity at that all-important spot.
2. What type of approach will GM Dell Demps take this offseason?
Demps will be in a win-at-all-costs mode. There was plenty of speculation that Demps and Gentry would lose their jobs after a second consecutive disappointing season. The Cousins trade, which many NBA experts viewed as a coup for Demps and the Pelicans, bought the regime a little more time.
While Demps and Gentry were given a reprieve by owner Tom Benson, their status remains tenuous. They can’t afford another slow start, so the pieces have to be in place to get things turned around quickly.
Demps figures to actively pursue free agents and trades for proven players who can make an immediate impact.
3. Are the Pelicans truly committed to making the Davis-Cousins combination work, or will one of them be dealt?
Gentry believes he can maximize Davis’ and Cousins’ talents with the benefit of a training camp. Davis is locked up contractually at least through the summer of 2020, when he can exercise his player option. Cousins is an entirely different case.
The former King is entering his walk year and has yet to tip his hand on whether he plans to stay in New Orleans long-term. The Pelicans will certainly have to max out Cousins to keep him and that would result in three gargantuan contracts on their books if they re-sign Holiday too.
If the Pelicans aren’t in playoff contention by midseason, a blockbuster deal could be necessary at the trade deadline. It wouldn’t even be a total shock if it happens this offseason should Cousins’ camp make it clear that he plans to go elsewhere in free agency.
The caveat is that Demps, being on the hot seat, would have to get some starters as well as draft picks in return. If the Celtics, for example, wanted Cousins now, they’d have to give players who could jump into the rotation (Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, etc.) along with a high draft pick or two.
4. Other than a point guard, what is the Pelicans’ biggest need?
New Orleans finished 19th in three-point percentage last season and must improve that ranking going forward. The Pelicans need superior spot-up shooters in order to create space for their two big men.
It would help if Quincy Pondexter could return to good health after having his last two seasons wiped out by knee injuries. Pondexter is a solid three-point threat, but it’s wishful thinking to expect much from him after being out for so long.
Instead, the Pelicans will likely have to use their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions (assuming they retain Holiday) to get a shooter or two on the open market. They’ll obviously be targeting shooting guards and small forwards, with perimeter threats like C.J. Miles and Jodie Meeks as logical targets.
5. The Pelicans traded away their first-round pick in the Cousins deal. Should they make any attempt to move into the first round?
It seems unlikely that the Pelicans will do much on draft day. They could get involved in a three-way deal in which they would acquire a rotation player. It’s also conceivable, though quite unlikely, that they could flip Cousins if they get an overwhelming offer that includes a likely future lottery pick and multiple established players.
Otherwise, New Orleans will be content to select a developmental player in the second round (No. 40 overall pick) and get down to more important business when the free-agent bell rings on July 1st.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Pelicans financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Anthony Davis ($23,775,506)
- DeMarcus Cousins ($18,063,850)
- Solomon Hill ($12,236,535)
- Omer Asik ($10,595,505)
- E’Twaun Moore ($8,445,024)
- Alexis Ajinca ($4,961,798)
- Quincy Pondexter ($3,853,931)
- Tim Frazier ($2,000,000)
- Cheick Diallo ($1,312,611)
- Total: $85,244,760
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Jordan Crawford ($1,709,538)1
- Axel Toupane ($1,471,382)
- Quinn Cook ($1,312,611)2
- Total: $4,493,531
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Holds
- Jrue Holiday ($16,929,777)
- Dante Cunningham ($5,658,675) — Player option declined
- Donatas Motiejunas ($1,471,382)
- Total: $24,059,834
Trade Exceptions
- Buddy Hield TPE ($3,517,200) — Expires 2/20/18
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $13,308,395
- Adding three cap charges for empty roster spots to New Orleans’ nine guaranteed contracts results in a total team salary of $87,691,605. The cap space created in that scenario is minimal, so the Pelicans are more likely to retain one or two of their players on non-guaranteed contracts and to keep Holiday’s cap hold on the books as they attempt to re-sign him. That would mean staying over the cap.
Footnotes:
- Crawford’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
- Cook’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($25,000) after July 5. Guarantee increases to $100,000 after July 25.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Need to do what they can to alleviate the logjam they created by trading all guards to the kings for Cousins and not unloading asik or ajinca. Then if they sign holiday get his brother as a rotation player. And go after every shooter possible to maximize ur lick outs from the post. Davis and Cousins can play together because Davis is as versatile as they come. He can play on the perimeter and handle for his size. He’s a matchup nightmare. They just need shooters in the worst way