The New Orleans Pelicans have undergone a massive roster overhaul in the wake of the Anthony Davis trade, keeping only some of the salvageable pieces of a team that often fell shy of making waves in the playoffs.
ESPN Insider Bobby Marks, a former NBA executive in his own right, credited executive vice president David Griffin for turning over this roster and building a playoff contender next season:
The roster transformation in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/AirtXlC0ca
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 5, 2019
Griffin added much more than the No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, but also surrounded him with quality talent, bringing in Derrick Favors and JJ Redick while bringing back positional value in Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, as well as a bevy of future assets in the Davis trade.
The new head of the front office also ensured to keep the talent that can help this team contend in veteran point man Jrue Holiday, Jahlil Okafor and Darius Miller.
Usually turning around a roster takes time, but the ability to draft a player like Williamson has greatly accelerated this rebuild, and Griffin has put his fair sprinkle of magic on a roster Marks thinks could challenge for the postseason:
“I think they're gonna compete for a playoff spot,” said Marks. “I look at how the Western Conference is, there's the five teams on top, teams like Denver, Utah, Houston, Portland, the Lakers, and then there's everybody else in kind of that 6-to-12 range. New Orleans is right there with Sacramento, Golden State, San Antonio, the Clippers.
“This team is deep, the big thing is they got to stay healthy.”
Barring any health woes, the Pelicans could be a team to surprise a few people, especially if they can reach their full potential with a newly assembled core.
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