The New Orleans Pelicans have one of the best young players in the NBA in Anthony Davis and this season they may look at trades with players like Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday or Ryan Anderson to give him more support, as the team added Omer Asik already in the offseason, but they need much more to compete in the super talented western conference.
Last offseason the team traded for both Holiday and Evans and while both played well at times, it wasn't enough to turn New Orleans into a winning team and now they may trade one of those names to get more depth and talent on the roster. According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the team may move one of their guards to help break up the logjam in the backcourt, as Davis is developing into a potential MVP player and he needs more around him to turn the franchise around.
Gordon has been mentioned in trade rumors over the past couple years, but he has plenty of potential and it's likely the team will keep him unless a great deal is offered. Gordon comes in after dealing with injuries over his career and that is one reason why he comes up in talks frequently and while the Pelicans love his talent, he has been unable to stay healthy during his time with the Clippers earlier in his career and in New Orleans.
Last season Gordon played in the most games of his career since his rookie season, but he still missed time and he has now only played in more than 70 games once in his career. The past three seasons with New Orleans he has played in 64, 42 and nine games and last year he averaged 15 points and three assists in 32 minutes per game and he also shot 43 percent from the field. Gordon could be a great wingman for Davis, but he has to find a way to stay healthy before he can do that.
Anderson is an interesting option for the Pelicans, as he came up in trade rumors over the past two seasons and he is coming back from herniated disc surgery. The Rockets were interested in Anderson last offseason and now that the Pelicans have traded for Omer Asik, there is a chance they could try and move Anderson. The team also has Patric Young signed at center and they drafted Jeff Withey and those players along with Davis gives the team size inside. Last season the Pelicans were in the middle of the pack in the league in most categories, ranking 18th in points scored and 19th in points allowed per game.
The team was also 22nd in rebounds per game and 19th in assist per game and one thing the team needs to do overall is improve on the defensive side of the ball and Omer Asik now will give them a prime shot blocker and rebounder in the middle. Asik averaged a double-double two years ago before being bumped out of the starting lineup for Dwight Howard and now he can return to that near-All-Star form. The team also added Jimmer Fredette and he can be a solid option on the outside as a shooter.
