Basketball Insiders recently started a new series detailing the top free agents by position as a primer for the free agency period beginning on July 1. Let’s get caught up. Drew Maresca covered point guards, Jordan Hicks shooting guards. Then, Spencer Davies detailed small forwards and Ben Nadeau wrote about power forwards. First, a look at
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans’ newest signing won’t change the landscape of the NBA, but Nicolo Melli is about as good a fit with Zion Williamson as you could ask for. Lost amid the craziness of the first night of free agency, the New Orleans Pelicans quietly added an interesting fit for their new-look roster. If
Zion Williamson doesn’t plan to enter the dunk contest, and that should sadden fans of the NBA. We need you Michael Jordan. We need you, Vince Carter. We need you, Blake Griffin. Heck, we need you Dwight Howard, and no one has said that about Howard for a long, long while. Please convince Zion Williamson
The 2019 NBA Draft started off with more trade activity than expected as most experts even predicted a record-breaking night as far as trades were concerned. With many big-name stars on the move pre-draft, rumors galore and the pending free agency period, all 30 teams were looking to maneuver in a way that best suited
The 2019 NBA Draft started off with more trade activity than expected as most experts even predicted a record-breaking night as far as trades were concerned. With many big-name stars on the move pre-draft, rumors galore and the pending free agency period, all 30 teams were looking to maneuver in a way that best suited
The New Orleans Pelicans kept dealing in the hours leading up to the draft, sending the No. 4 pick acquired from the Lakers to offload Solomon Hill’s deal. Vice president of basketball operations David Griffin continues to put his stamp on the New Orleans Pelicans, on Thursday swapping the No. 4 pick acquired from the
Popeyes is doing something gigantic to celebrate the New Orleans Pelicans likely drafting Zion William No. 1 in the 2019 NBA Draft. Whether or not this is a ploy to sign Zion Williamson to an endorsement deal remains to be seen, but Popeyes is selling a 6-foot-10-inch box of chicken to honor the presumptive No.
The Pelicans landed a huge haul from the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Will it be enough to catapult them through a rebuild? By now, you already know how this went down. In exchange for sending Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans received the following: – Lonzo Ball, Brandon
LaVar Ball will keep being obnoxious on TV for as long as people let him keep going on air. That much is clear at this point. LaVar Ball is a carnival barker at a circus that you wish to the heavens you could leave, because it’s a gross, loud, obnoxious one. Unfortunately for sportswriters across
The New Orleans Pelicans added a second top-five pick via the Anthony Davis trade, but they’ve got their eye on flipping it for Wizards guard Bradley Beal. Over the weekend, the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to send Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. The No. 4 pick in this year’s draft came to them
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – APRIL 09: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts before a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center on April 09, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting
With the NBA Draft less than nine days away, things in the NBA are starting to heat up as NBA teams zero in on trade scenarios and the players they will ultimately have a real shot at drafting. There is a very important disclaimer/concept worth re-stating. Rumors, like the ones we’ll dig into in a
Coming into college, Romeo Langford was a five-star recruit and the second-ranked shooting guard in the country. At New Albany High School in his hometown, the Indiana native decided to play all four years there instead of choosing the prep school route. Langford’s natural ability to score the ball and make plays for others garnered
The New Orleans Pelicans already know what they’re going with the No. 1 pick. But who should they be looking at for their two second-rounders? The top of the Pelicans draft board is pretty much set. Landing the No. 1 pick meant Zion Williamson is on his way to New Orleans, the easiest decision this
And just like that, another NBA Draft Lottery came and went. But this one felt different. It felt strange for very obvious reasons. Tanking has always been an issue in the NBA and has only gotten worse with more and more bottom-feeder teams purposely losing games in order to move up in the draft order.
With the NBA’s post-season in full swing and historic playoff games being played almost nightly, there are some storylines to watch as the race to a championship unfolds. Here are a few things to watch, especially if some of the ongoing series don’t play out as some had hoped when the season started some seven
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – APRIL 09: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts before a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center on April 09, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting
Anthony Davis is thought to be as good as gone from New Orleans, but could David Griffin change that? With one year left on his contract before he can opt-out, his openness about not signing an extension and trade rumors sure to come back this offseason, Anthony Davis seems to have no long-term future with
After parting ways with Dell Demps during the season, the New Orleans Pelicans are finalizing a deal with David Griffin to take over their basketball ops. Surveying the range of job opportunities in the NBA, it appears David Griffin has settled on the New Orleans Pelicans gig as the most attractive. Certainly, Griffin has come
As franchises have been eliminated from postseason contention, Basketball Insiders started to diagnose their ailments and offer future plans of attack. Unfortunately, it may take a whole lot more than that to fix the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans, who now find themselves in a unique circle of basketball misfortune, had a frustratingly inconsistent campaign
Elfrid Payton is on a great run right now, but will it stand as the turning point in his career and a sign he has figured it all out? On Monday night, New Orleans Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton reached some rare air. With 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks,
Last year, this writer started his tenure with Basketball Insiders writing about who had the best case for Coach of the Year. One year later, we’re revisiting the same discussion. This time, with an entirely new slate of candidates. The Coach of the Year Award produces one of the most fascinating races in the NBA
The Anthony Davis saga drags on and every night the Pelicans have to decide between sitting him and taking a $100,000 fine from the NBA, or playing him and risking an injury that craters his trade value. With implications for competitiveness, playoff standings and the in-game experience, what do the Pelicans owe to their fans
Jahlil Okafor’s recent play has drawn headlines, but behind the gaudy numbers, he’s still Jahlil Okafor. We desperately want to believe in top-5 draft picks. For years, we cling to the idea that something made them special once, and the specialness absolutely has to be there to this day, just waiting for the right context
Far out of a playoff spot, and needing to protect his trade value, the New Orleans Pelicans are trying to find a way to sit Anthony Davis. The New Orleans Pelicans are six games back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference here at the All-Star break, with five teams to usurp in
Dell Demps and the Pelicans were going to have to part ways eventually. But why now, when he seemed to be executing ownership’s plan properly? The New Orleans Pelicans parted ways with long-time GM Dell Demps this morning, ending the ninth longest GM tenure currently active in the NBA. Demps’ tenure was a rocky one,
After being told for weeks that the Boston Celtics were not on Anthony Davis’ list, we’re now being told AD would be cool with wearing Celtic green. Many in the media were being told for weeks that Anthony Davis was not interested in being a Boston Celtic. Now, on the eve of the All-Star Game,
After seven years of poor roster-building and team construction, the New Orleans’ Pelicans luck has finally run out. Here’s how they lost Anthony Davis. It all began on June 28, 2012. The New Orleans Pelicans, then Hornets, had the first overall pick in the NBA draft after a dreadful 21-45 lockout season. Their luck was
The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot to gain by waiting to trade Anthony Davis, including a shot at Zion Williamson. The Anthony Davis trade saga has been one of the most compelling storylines the NBA has seen in some time. Earlier in the day on Monday it seemed as though the New Orleans Pelicans
The Bucks traded for Nikola Mirotic, shoring up a playoff rotation that now should be aiming for the Finals. The story of the trade that sent Nikola Mirotic to Milwaukee unfolded strangely over the span of just a few short minutes. First, we found out that Mirotic was going to Milwaukee. There were speculations that