When he first spoke publicly after being nominated as the lead basketball executive for the New Orleans Pelicans, David Griffin said: There is no time. “
This declaration was made about Anthony Davis.
Apparently, Griffin claimed that the team’s relationship with the disgruntled star could be repaired. But personally, Griffin understood that Davis would never play another game for Pelicans — Not after how uncomfortable He created the situation for everyone in the organization.
On June 15, 2019, 33 days after he was hired, Griffin handed out Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. Pelican has regained three first round picks with three players (Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball).
Wednesday marked the third anniversary of New Orleans’ affluent trade, but it should continue for years to come.
The biggest profit in New Orleans trade was Ingram, which developed into the foundation of the franchise. He won an All-Star appearance in his first season in New Orleans. He hasn’t returned since then, but many in the organization believe he has reached new heights as an all-round player last season.
Ingram posted the highest number of passes in his career. He looked comfortable with Willie Green’s aggressive system. The main thing is quick decision making. Playing Smidge faster on the half-court made Ingram harder to stop.
The numbers supported the theory that Ingram had never been more influential. Pelicans went 29-26 when he played. They were 7-20 years old when he sat down.
Of the three players from Los Angeles to New Orleans, only Ingram remains. Pelican wasn’t interested in forking a lot of money into the ball last summer, so he eventually made a $ 85 million deal with the Chicago Bulls. Hart was in the middle of his career when he was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers in February as the center of the deal to buy CJ McCollum.
Adding McCallum was the nudge needed for Pelicans to become a playoff team. Under the shadow of Damian Lillard, the 30-year-old thrived as a lead guard, averaging 24.3 points and 5.8 assists in 26 games.
McCallum scored 32 points in the Pelicans play-in tournament victory over the San Antonio Spurs and 32 points in the team’s April 1 Roadwin against the Lakers. This not only improved the Pelicans playoff odds, but also kept the Lakers’ first round picks in this summer’s draft.
Pelicans had to keep the Lakers’ first round of 2022 picks only if they landed in the Top 10 (as a result of a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in August). Indeed, the pick was communicated. They hold the 8th place selection in the draft on Thursday.
Pelicans and the Lakers will continue to be intertwined for at least the next two years. Pelicans have the option to exchange their first round picks with the Lakers in 2023. Then, in 2024 or 2025, the year Pelican prefers, the Lakers will have to fork the pick for the final first round, the final payment at Davis.
The NBA landscape changes rapidly, but the Lakers outlook doesn’t look rosy.
LeBron James has entered 20 seasons and has a contract period of one year. Russell Westbrook is in debt of $ 47 million next season. This is a number that makes it difficult to trade without abandoning the first round pick. Then there is Davis. He should be at the height of his career, but he has played only 76 of the 144 possible games in the last two seasons due to an injury.
Pelicans are in a much better place than they were three years ago when Davis’ team time was nearing the end. They ended the three-year playoff drought, even though it took less than a minute from Zion Williamson, who had recovered from a broken right leg. Williamson is eligible to sign an extension of 5 years from 1 July.
In the next few seasons, the New Orleans cap could drop to Williamson’s health and willingness to become the face of the franchise. A franchise that has never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs could reach unprecedented heights if he stayed in. If not, according to Griffin’s definition, it can mean only one thing: he’s been out all the time.
As Griffin said three years ago at the beginning of this reconstruction, there is no time.
