It was just over a year ago to this day that I woke up to the gut-wrenching news that Anthony Davis had requested a trade from the Pelicans. It was an awful way to start the morning, but all in all, it sadly wasn’t all that surprising.
From the day the Hornets (before the name change) drafted Davis, it felt like every day was a slow step for him in a long march out of New Orleans to a bigger market. The only question was when he would leave, not if, and that suspense hung over like an ominous storm cloud over New Orleans for seven years, never really allowing the Pelicans to thrive.
Keep in mind that, while New Orleans didn’t see the most success as a team with Davis, they were less than a year removed from sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Playoffs and giving the eventual champion Golden State Warriors a good fight. Despite this, Davis wanted out, and his late January demand to leave threw the Pelicans into a tailspin. The season became truly ugly, with Davis not playing many more games, and it all culminated in Davis wearing a “That’s All Folks” t-shirt before his last game with New Orleans.
For a franchise that had already lost a superstar to a trade demand years before with Chris Paul, in a city that has struggled to show support for its team, the Pelicans seemed to be in serious disarray. Once again they were losing a top-five NBA talent who they weren’t able to win with much anyway, so things were bound to get worse without a star like Davis. Then, with a stroke of luck, a few ping-pong balls changed the trajectory of the Pelicans forever.
The Pelicans had just a six percent chance to win the NBA Draft Lottery, yet on that suspenseful night team after team kept landing their picks and the Pelicans remained uncalled. When the Memphis Grizzlies were called for the number two pick, all of New Orleans went into a frenzy because it was official: the Pelicans were gonna get Duke sensation Zion Williamson.
With Williamson, widely regarded as the best player to come out of the draft since LeBron James, now headed to The Big Easy, the Pelicans suddenly had more leverage in trading Davis. New Orleans had been waiting to see who won the lottery to know what teams they might try to deal with, such as the New York Knicks, but they could have never expected to win the lottery themselves. Now in a position of power, the Pelicans struck a deal over the summer to send Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart.
Ball and Ingram were players the Lakers hoped would revitalize the franchise but had so far failed to live up to expectations, and Hart was a scrappy guard who won the NCAA Championship with Villanova. Along with three players, the Pelicans received three first round picks, including the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft and two future picks that depending on each team’s records could come in anywhere from 2021-2025.
As with any trade, it is impossible to know who “won” off of immediate reaction, but most people believed the Pelicans had gotten as good a deal as possible considering the tough spot Davis put them in. Once he demanded a trade, other teams knew the Pelicans had to trade him, removing some leverage for the Pelicans to negotiate with. However, the No. 1 pick returned leverage, forcing the Lakers to give up more to prevent the Knicks or Celtics from getting Davis. Now the Pelicans had an incoming star with Williamson, and they had two players in Ingram and Ball who had just been drafted second overall in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Not many teams who lose a superstar like Davis could say they had a young foundation with so much potential just months after receiving a trade demand from the face of the franchise.
Riding all the excitement of getting Williamson, the Pelicans were dealt a gut-punch, as Williamson had to have knee surgery, forcing him to miss the first two-and-a-half months of the season. The Pelicans lost a franchise-record 13 straight games at the start of the season, so once again doubt crept in about the Pelicans and their future.
In late December, however, the new young players began gaining confidence and developing chemistry together, and the Pelicans began climbing the standings just in time for Williamson’s return. While the San Antonio Spurs spoiled Williamson’s first game back in what was a playoff-like atmosphere in New Orleans, Williamson has shined in his first ten games back. He is averaging 22.1 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Beyond his numbers, Williamson has brought unspeakable energy to the Pelicans. Every time he makes a play at home, the Smoothie King Center crowd erupts. Even road crowds seem to enjoy his monstrous dunks and aggressive play under the basket.
Just over a year after losing the face of the franchise in Davis, the Pelicans look like a completely different team. Ingram is an All-Star and Ball has developed a much better shot along with much needed confidence that was lacking with a huge spotlight on him in Los Angeles. Rookie Jaxson Hayes, who the Pelicans got the the fourth pick from the Lakers, looks like a real asset for the future. Hart, the afterthought of the Davis trade, has proven to be one of the most valuable players on the team, as he hustles on every play and provides a real spark off the bench.
As a fan of this team going back to about 2006, when they were the New Orleans Hornets and Chris Paul was the star, I have never enjoyed watching them play more than I have this season. Even their losses are just more fun. The Pelicans are playing with energy and heart that just wasn’t there over the last several years.
As we’ve reached the All-Star Break, the Pelicans sit 5.5 games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. For a team that lost 13 consecutive games with a 6-22 record, making the playoffs seemed unthinkable, yet with Zion back, the team fully healthy and the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA, the Pelicans seem primed to make a run at the playoffs.
Yet fighting for the playoffs loses the point of this season. Yes, making the playoffs with such a drastic turnaround would be fantastic. However, the excitement in this season comes when looking at the future. Ingram and Ball are 22 years old, and Williamson and Hayes are just 19. Surrounded by solid veterans in Derrick Favors and J.J. Redick, along with the real leader of the team in Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans have a truly good team.
This season has made one thing clear: the New Orleans Pelicans have their best and brightest days ahead of them, and on the heels of losing the former soul of their team, that is incredible to say.