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2019 Offseason In Review: New Orleans Pelicans

September 28th, 2019 at 9:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- J.J. Redick: Two years, $26.5MM. Signed using cap room.
- Darius Miller: Two years, $14.25MM. Second year non-guaranteed. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
- Nicolo Melli: Two years, $8MM. Signed using room exception.
Two-way contracts:
- Zylan Cheatham
- Josh Gray
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Jalen Adams: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Javon Bess: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Kavell Bigby-Williams: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).

Trades:

Acquired the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick, and cash ($1MM) from the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to Alen Smailagic (No. 39 pick).
Acquired Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the Lakers’ 2021 first-round pick (9-30 protected; unprotected in 2022), the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the right to swap 2023 first-round picks with the Lakers, and cash ($1.1MM from Wizards; $1MM from Lakers) in a three-team trade with the Lakers and Wizards in exchange for Anthony Davis (to Lakers).
- Note: The Pelicans will have the option to defer the 2024 first-round pick to 2025.
Acquired the draft rights to Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 pick), the draft rights to Nickeil Alexander-Walker (No. 17 pick), the draft rights to Marcos Louzada Silva (No. 35 pick), and the Cavaliers’ 2020 first-round pick (top-10 protected) from the Hawks in exchange for Solomon Hill, the draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), the draft rights to Jordan Bone (No. 57 pick), and the Pelicans’ 2023 second-round pick (31-45 protected).
- Note: The Cavaliers’ protected 2020 first-rounder will become two second-round picks (2021 and 2022) if it’s not conveyed in 2020.
Acquired Derrick Favors from the Jazz in exchange for the Warriors’ 2021 second-round pick and the Warriors’ 2023 second-round pick.

Draft picks:

1-1: Zion Williamson — Signed to rookie contract.
1-8: Jaxson Hayes — Signed to rookie contract.
1-17: Nickeil Alexander-Walker — Signed to rookie contract.
2-35: Marcos Louzada Silva — Will play overseas (Australia).

Departing players:

Dairis Bertans (waived)
Trevon Bluiett (two-way)
Ian Clark
Anthony Davis
Cheick Diallo
Solomon Hill
Stanley Johnson
Elfrid Payton
Julius Randle
Christian Wood (waived)

Other offseason news:

Hired David Griffin as executive VP of basketball operations.
Hired Trajan Langdon as general manager.
Hired Swin Cash as VP of basketball operations and team development.
Exercised 2020/21 option on head coach Alvin Gentry.
Hired Jeff Bzdelik as lead defensive assistant coach to replace Darren Erman.
Darius Miller suffered ruptured Achilles; team awarded disabled player exception.
Nicolo Melli underwent knee surgery.
Established new G League team (Erie BayHawks).
Hired Greivis Vasquez as associated head coach of Erie BayHawks.

Salary cap situation:

Used cap space; now over the cap.
Carrying approximately $114.76MM in guaranteed salary.
$664K of room exception still available ($4.1MM used on Nicolo Melli).
$3.625MM disabled player exception available (expires on 3/10/2020).

Story of the summer:

It’s rare that an NBA team is able to transition from one franchise player to a new one as cleanly as the Pelicans did this offseason.

Okay, maybe “clean” isn’t the right adjective to describe a saga that began with Anthony Davis publicly issuing a midseason trade request that torpedoed New Orleans’ 2018/19 season and mired the club in second-half turmoil. That was actually kind of a mess.

But things looked significantly less messy after the Pelicans landed the No. 1 overall pick at the draft lottery in May, putting them in position to select Zion Williamson, the most hyped prospect to enter the NBA since… well, maybe Davis himself.

The Pelicans later turned the page on the Davis era by trading the big man to the Lakers, and despite the fact that they had little leverage to send him anywhere except his preferred destination, the Pels made out pretty well in the deal, acquiring multiple young players and future first-round picks.

As AD exited the frame and Zion entered, the Pelicans also underwent an important transition in the front office, where David Griffin was hired as the team’s new head of basketball operations. For years, the Pels had essentially been overseen by the New Orleans Saints’ management team, giving them the feel of a junior varsity squad. But Griffin’s arrival signaled an important changing of the guard.

Besides bringing a championship pedigree to the Pelicans, Griffin brought something more important: a focus on building an infrastructure and a culture. Whether that means overhauling the medical staff, building up the team’s analytics department, or addressing any other holes that had been left unfilled in the past, Griffin prioritized building that sustainable infrastructure from day one.

Williamson will be the face of the franchise for years to come, but if Griffin’s work is successful, this could also be remembered as the summer that the Pelicans moved out from the Saints’ shadow and began building a winning culture of their own.

Key offseason losses:

The end of Davis’ tenure in New Orleans was ugly, but the impact of losing him can’t be overstated. It was just a year earlier that he showed the kind of impact he was capable of having on the organization when he helped lead the Pelicans to the second round of the postseason even after DeMarcus Cousins went down with a season-ending injury.

Davis, who has earned six consecutive All-Star berths and three All-NBA nods, was the Pelicans’ best offensive player and rebounder, as well as their defensive anchor. Replicating his production will be a tall order for any two of the players left in New Orleans’ frontcourt, let alone one.

The Pelicans took another hit up front with the loss of Julius Randle, who opted out of an option with New Orleans to sign a three-year contract with the Knicks. The former No. 7 overall pick enjoyed a career year in 2018/19, with 21.4 PPG and 8.7 RPG, though he has never been an elite defender.

Elfrid Payton will join Randle on the Knicks this season after a disappointing single season with the Pelicans in which he was limited to just 42 games due to injuries. Payton filled the box score when he played (10.6 PPG, 7.6 APG, and 5.2 RPG), but the club’s net rating was better when he sat than when he played.

Injury-plagued veteran Solomon Hill, end-of-season standout Christian Wood, young project Cheick Diallo, and rotation players Ian Clark and Stanley Johnson are among the other departing Pelicans.

Key offseason additions:

Unless something goes wrong, Williamson should ultimately be the most impactful addition of the offseason for the Pelicans. The club may handle Zion with kid gloves in his rookie season after some minor injury issues during the spring and summer, but given his immense talent and exceptional athleticism, he’s capable of having a major on-court impact right away.

The same probably can’t be said for the Pelicans’ other first-round picks. I wouldn’t expect Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Jaxson Hayes to play huge roles immediately – they may each spend some time with the team’s new G League affiliate in Erie – but their long-term potential is intriguing.

Speaking of intriguing, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball may no longer be viewed with the same kind of excitement as they were when they were drafted second overall in 2016 and 2017, respectively, but both players have flashed star potential and are still very young.

Staying healthy will be the top priority for Ingram and Ball. A change of scenery may do both of them good as well — on the Lakers, they were expected to turn the franchise around during its rebuilding years, then to help LeBron James transform the club into an overnight contender. In New Orleans, they’ll be out of the spotlight and overshadowed by Zion, which will take off some of the pressure.

Besides all their incoming young talent, the Pelicans made a couple key veteran additions this offseason, signing J.J. Redick in free agency and acquiring Derrick Favors in a trade. I like both moves a lot — Redick will provide much-needed floor spacing and takes on even more importance now that fellow sharpshooter Darius Miller will miss the season with a torn Achilles. Favors, meanwhile, was an awkward fit beside Rudy Gobert in Utah, but could thrive as New Orleans’ starting center.

Shooting guard Josh Hart, who also came over in the AD trade, and power forward Nicolo Melli, a European import, also join a new-look Pelicans roster and will have a chance to compete for regular rotation roles.

Outlook for 2019/20:

The Pelicans’ youth and lack of continuity may limit their ability to get off to a strong start and legitimately contend for the postseason. But this team shouldn’t be overlooked. Jrue Holiday is one of the NBA’s best two-way guards, Williamson can be an impact player immediately, and the roster features an intriguing mix of breakout candidates (Ingram and Ball) and reliable veteran role players (Redick and Favors).

Exceeding expectations and competing for a No. 8 seed is a possibility, but even if the Pelicans are firmly in the lottery, the team’s talented young prospects should give fans hope for a bright future, which wasn’t easy to envision down the stretch of the 2018/19 season.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers Notes: James, Davis, Dudley, Kuzma

September 27th, 2019 at 8:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James wants Anthony Davis to be the focal point of the Lakers offense, he told Josh Peter of USA Today and other media members during the team’s annual Media Day.

“If we’re not playing through Anthony Davis while he’s on the floor, then there’s no sense to having him on the floor,’’ James said.

Davis’ ability to draw double teams is an exciting proposition for James.

“When you’re able to attract two defenders on one guy, then you’ve got the numbers game. … It opens up for other guys on the floor, including myself,’’ he said.

We have more from the Lakers:

James gave a ringing endorsement to the front office headed up by Rob Pelinka and the work the group did this summer, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. “They focused on what they can do to make this franchise as competitive as they can be. They exceeded that. They did a hell of a job and I’m happy to be a Laker.”
James was hesitant about committing to playing for Team USA in next year’s Olympics, then said he would, Joe Vardon of The Athletic tweets. “Umm, I don’t know. I would love to,” LeBron said, adding that it will depend on his health at season’s end.
Davis shrugged off comments made by Pelicans executive VP David Griffin that were seemingly critical of him, according to an ESPN report. Griffin was quoted earlier this week as saying, “If sex appeal is your thing and you need a big market, OK. See you later.” Davis was asked for a response on ESPN’s The Jump. “That’s fine. I don’t care,” he said. “I mean like, the past is the past, you know? I didn’t hear that.”
Jared Dudley is intent on making Kyle Kuzma a well-rounded player, according to Mark Trudell of the team’s website. “My guy would be Kyle Kuzma. What can I do off the court to help him get to his full potential? He’s really the key for us,” Dudley said.

Pelicans Hire Teresa Weatherspoon, A.J. Diggs

September 26th, 2019 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have become the latest NBA franchise to add a female assistant coach to their ranks, announcing today in a press release that WNBA Hall-of-Famer Teresa Weatherspoon has joined the franchise as a player development coach.

According to the Pelicans, Weatherspoon and newly-hired coach A.J. Diggs will serve as two-way assistant coaches, working closely with the club’s two-way players and accompanying them as they go back and forth between the Pelicans and the Erie BayHawks. Currently, New Orleans’ two-way players are Josh Gray and Zylan Cheatham.

“I am thrilled to welcome and AJ and Teresa to our coaching staff here in New Orleans,” Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said in a statement. “As we continue to put an increased emphasis on player development, AJ and Teresa will play an integral role with our younger players and will be a huge asset to our players and staff both here in New Orleans and Erie.”

Weatherspoon is the second former WNBA star to be hired the Pelicans this offseason, joining Swin Cash, who was named the club’s VP of basketball operations and team development.

Pelicans Sign Jalen Adams, Javon Bess

September 24th, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have officially completed previously-reported deals with undrafted rookies Jalen Adams and Javon Bess, the club confirmed today. Both players are listed on New Orleans’ 20-man roster for training camp.

Adams, a point guard out of UConn, averaged 16.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.4 APG during his senior year, which was limited to 26 games due to a knee injury. The 6’3″ Adams, who started 99 of 124 career games with the Huskies, reached a contract agreement with the Pelicans right after the draft in June and appeared in five games for New Orleans’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas.

Bess, a 6’6″ swingman, began his college career at Michigan State before transferring to Saint Louis for his junior and senior years. In 2018/19, he posted 15.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 36 games (36.8 MPG). Like Adams, he quickly agreed to terms with New Orleans after the draft and suited up for the Pelicans’ Summer League team, though he averaged just 8.8 minutes per contest in five games in Las Vegas.

After signing Adams and Bess, the Pelicans have a full 20-man roster. The odd man out, based on prior reports, is Aubrey Dawkins — a June report suggested that Dawkins had agreed to terms with the Pelicans on an Exhibit 10 contract. Assuming the report was accurate at the time, the agreement either fell through or will be completed later this fall, after the Pels waive a player.

Pelicans Awarded Disabled Player Exception

September 24th, 2019 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has approved the Pelicans‘ request for a disabled player exception, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The exception, which was applied for in response to Darius Miller‘s torn Achilles, will be worth $3.625MM, half of Miller’s $7.25MM salary for 2019/20.

As we outline in our glossary entry on the disabled player exception, a team can apply for a DPE to replace a seriously injured player. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15 of that league year, so it sounds as if Miller is expected to miss all of 2019/20.

The Pelicans’ newly-generated disabled player exception doesn’t open up a 16th regular-season roster spot for the club, but gives New Orleans some extra cap flexibility to add a player. The exception – which has a March 10 deadline – can be used to to sign a free agent to a one-year deal or to acquire a player on an expiring contract via trade or waivers, assuming his salary fits into the exception.

Since the Pelicans already used all their cap space and their room exception, the $3.625MM DPE could come in handy at the trade deadline or during buyout season. However, if the club isn’t in playoff contention, it’s possible it’ll simply go unused.

New Orleans would lose the DPE if Miller is traded before the exception is used.

Melli Shows Progress From Knee Surgery

September 23rd, 2019 at 9:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans forward Nicolo Melli has returned to the court after undergoing offseason knee surgery, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Melli skipped the FIBA World Cup due to the injury. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $8MM contract in July after playing professionally in Europe for over a decade.

14 NBA Teams Have Open 20-Man Roster Spots

September 20th, 2019 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

With NBA training camps right around the corner, several more teams filled their 20-man offseason rosters this week. The Hornets did so on Monday, with the Mavericks, Pistons, Raptors, and Hawks following suit over the next few days. Those clubs join a list of 16 total teams that don’t have any openings on their offseason rosters.

Of course, every NBA team with a full 20-man roster is carrying multiple players who have non-guaranteed contracts, so it’s not as if any of them would be hamstrung if they really want to sign another player. But for now at least, it appears as if those 16 teams have their 20-man squads set for when camps get underway at the end of the month.

That leaves 14 clubs that still have open roster spots, as our tracker shows. Here’s a breakdown of those teams, along with my speculation on whether we can expect them to make moves within the next week or two:

19 players under contract:

Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento Kings
Washington Wizards

None of these teams are carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so it’s possible they’ll still add a veteran player who could earn a regular season roster spot. But it’s more likely that they’ll each sign another young player who could end up in the G League, since all four teams have their own NBAGL affiliates. The Wizards, who need to add some point guard depth, are said to be eyeing Chris Chiozza for their final spot.

18 players under contract:

Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers

While it’s not official yet, the Celtics essentially have a full roster. Kaiser Gates and Yante Maten have both reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with the Celtics, but have yet to finalize them. Once they’re under contract, Boston’s 20-man roster will be full.

The Magic could also have a full 20-man roster if and when they complete their reported agreement with Isaac Humphries and sign first-round pick Chuma Okeke. The Pelicans, meanwhile, reportedly reached deals with undrafted rookies Jalen Adams, Javon Bess, and Aubrey Dawkins, but there’s only room for two of them on the roster, so unless New Orleans plans to waive a player, the team won’t be signing all three.

The Rockets are signing Thabo Sefolosha and would have room for one more camp invitee, while I’d expect the Suns to invite two more young players to camp with them.

The Nuggets and Trail Blazers don’t have their own G League affiliates, so they may not fill out their rosters unless they just need healthy bodies for camp.

17 players under contract:

Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder

All three of these teams have their own G League affiliates and should fill out their camp rosters with young players who can play for the Long Island Nets, Windy City Bulls, or OKC Blue. Of course, rumors continue to swirl that the Nets are eyeing Carmelo Anthony, but I wouldn’t expect the Bulls or Thunder to be seeking any veteran help.

And-Ones: FIBA Ranks, Olympic Qualifiers, NBAGL

September 20th, 2019 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite their disappointing showing at the 2019 World Cup in China, USA Basketball has retained the No. 1 seed in FIBA’s international rankings, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. World Cup champion Spain is at No. 2, followed by Australia, Argentina, and France.

FIBA’s rankings account for results from the last eight years, so the fact that Team USA won the 2014 World Cup and took home gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics keeps the program at the top of that list for now.

Meanwhile, FIBA also announced this week that the 24-team field is set for next summer’s Olympic qualifying tournaments. Eight of the 12 spots in the 2020 Olympics have already been claimed, but 24 countries will have a chance to compete for the final four spots. Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Serbia, and Slovenia – all of whom should have NBA players on their rosters – are among the teams competing in those qualifiers.

Interestingly though, those Olympic qualifying tournaments are scheduled to take place between June 23-28, 2020, so it’s not clear whether members of next year’s free agent class will be willing to participate — suffering a major injury in those games would impact their earning potential a week later.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Ethan Strauss of The Athletic polled a dozen executives around the NBA about the 2019/20 outlook for the Warriors, Lakers, Clippers, and Rockets. The consensus? Those execs unanimously agreed that Golden State will make the playoffs, and believe that the Clippers are a better team than the Lakers. They’re also not convinced that the Rockets will be much better after swapping Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook.
The NBA announced this week that the annual NBA G League Winter Showcase will have a new tournament format this year. The event, which will take place in Las Vegas from December 19-22, will feature a $100K prize for the winning team. That prize will have to be split among all the team’s players, but it still represents a nice bonus, considering the NBAGL’s standard salary is $35K.
In an interesting piece for The Athletic, Danny Leroux explains how an over-the-cap, below-the-tax team that re-signs a player using Bird rights can essentially turn that player into a “walking trade exception” by overpaying him to some extent. Leroux points to Darius Miller of the Pelicans as one example. Miller probably wasn’t getting a $7.25MM salary from any team besides New Orleans, but that contract could be a useful salary-matching piece for David Griffin during the season, whereas a minimum deal wouldn’t have been.

An Extension For Brandon Ingram Comes With Risk

September 20th, 2019 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans should take a cautious approach toward an extension for Brandon Ingram, contends Bryan Toporek of Forbes. Although Ingram has been a full participant in offseason workouts, Toporek believes his health concerns make him too much of a risk unless he agrees to a discount somewhere in the neighborhood of the three-year, $52MM deal that Caris LeVert accepted with the Nets.

Pelicans Notes: Ingram, Ball, Redick, G League

September 18th, 2019 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Lakers Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, whose 2018/19 seasons ended early due to health issues, have been full participants in the Pelicans‘ voluntary offseason workouts in New Orleans, a source tells Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com.

Ingram was shut down in March due to a blood clot, while Ball hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since January as a result of an ankle injury. The fact that both players are participating in workouts without restrictions is great news for the Pelicans, who acquired the duo – plus Josh Hart and a handful of draft picks – in the summer’s blockbuster Anthony Davis trade.

Ingram is technically eligible to sign a rookie scale extension up until October 21, the day before the regular season begins. However, the Pelicans are unlikely to make a long-term commitment to him before he appears in a single regular season game for the club. In the 2020 offseason, after New Orleans’ decision-makers have had a full year to evaluate the duo, Ingram will be a restricted free agent and Ball will be eligible for an extension of his own.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Appearing on ESPN’s Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe this week, new Pelicans sharpshooter J.J. Redick cited a desire to play with Jrue Holiday as one reason why he signed with New Orleans, despite the fact that he didn’t have a pre-existing relationship with Holiday and hadn’t played with him in the past. Redick also said that he hopes to play a lot for the Pelicans this season, but doesn’t care whether he starts or comes off the bench.
The Erie BayHawks – New Orleans’ new G League affiliate – confirmed this week in a press release that Marc Chasanoff will be the team’s general manager. The BayHawks also announced several other members of their basketball operations staff, including Billy Campbell as assistant GM.
After helping to build up the Long Island Nets during his time in Brooklyn, new Pelicans assistant GM Trajan Langdon will look to do the same with New Orleans’ new G League team. William Guillory of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the first steps Langdon is taking toward that goal this year.
We passed along a few more notes on the Pelicans on Tuesday, including a report on the team applying for a disabled player exception.