2019 NBA Free Agency Southwest Primer: Analytics, upstarts and perennial contenders
New Orleans Pelicans
Situation Entering Offseason:
Let’s just say the loss of David Griffin and his incredibly knowledgeable takes on NBA TV was the New Orleans Pelicans gain. His intelligence and as it turns out luck resulted in the Pelicans winning the Zion sweepstakes. And, although Griff was unable to convince star Anthony Davis to reconsider his demands for a trade Griffin made short order of displaying his management prowess.
Despite having the prize pick to land Williamson it was Griffin’s brilliance which unequivocally won draft night via a series of trades and moves to land young assets and picks.
In the trade to send Davis to the Lakers, Griffin got a major haul of young talent and picks and then promptly flipped the fourth pick with the Hawks to grab Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Salary:
Cap Space: $ (4,485,940.00)
Floor Space: $ (31,068,075.00)
Max Space: $ 49,344,424.00
Projected Space: $ 30,268,632.00
*as per Keith Smith of Real GM
Key free agents to re-sign:
If the whispers are correct David Griffin is targeting some key free agents. And, just as adeptly as he maneuvered in the draft he’s assessed the existing talent on the team to separate who the team is desirous of moving forward with.
Sources: The Pelicans have declined to extend a qualifying offer to forward Stanley Johnson, making him an unrestricted free agent. Johnson, 23, is a strong defender and will receive interest from several teams. Allows Pelicans to now have upwards of $28M in open space.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2019
Some of the free agents garnering interest in New Orleans are Tobias Harris and some big men to help develop Williamson and Hayes. Griffin has ample wiggle room given several of the players currently committed to on the roster are either on partially or non-fully guaranteed contracts. With Griff already demontrating how effectively he can expedite shifts I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a few more tricks up his sleep.
Either way, the GM also made sure on draft night to position the Pelicans as Jrue Holiday‘s team and deflect fans from putting immediate expectations on Williamson. If the Pelicans even sniff at the postseason Griff’s name should already be on your Executive of the Year shortlist.
Oddly Julius Randle doesn’t appear to be a player the Pelicans are keen to keep, perhaps his asking price is outside what they feel is fair. But, after a season of growth, he’ll garner plenty of attention elsewhere.
2019 Roster Depth:
- Lonzo Ball
- Dairis Bertans
- Josh Hart
- Jrue Holiday
- Brandon Ingram
- Frank Jackson
- E’Twaun Moore
- Jahlil Okafor
- Kenrich Williams
- Christian Wood
Draft Picks:
- Zion Williamson
- Jaxson Hayes
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Marcos Louzada Silva
From earlier: some in the Knicks organization are prioritizing young players like Bobby Portis and Julius Randle ahead of DeMarcus Cousins in free agency if they don’t land Kevin Durant, sources say. More here: https://t.co/hjeOxdqYeo
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 27, 2019
Trade:
- Solomon Hill (traded on draft night)
2019 free agents
Julius Randle (formally opted out – has interest from Bulls, Knicks, and Nets)
Elfrid Payton
Darius Miller
Ian Clark
Tim Frazier
Stanley Johnson (Restricted – team did NOT extend qualifying offer)
Cheick Diallo (Restricted – team did NOT extend qualifying offer)
Trevon Bluiett (Restricted)
2020 free agents
Brandon Ingram (Restricted)
E’Twaun Moore
Jahlil Okafor (Pelicans formally picked up 2019-20 team option)
Frank Jackson (Restricted)
Kenrich Williams (Restricted)
Christian Wood