NBA Trade Rumors: 5 destinations for Ryan Anderson
By John Buhler
Ryan Anderson is a sharp-shooting forward for the New Orleans Pelicans and with his team struggling this year, here are five teams he could be traded to.
Ryan Anderson has been a key player for the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets since he arrived in the Crescent City four seasons ago. The 27-year-old sharpshooting forward out of California has become one of the better complementary players for the Pelicans to play alongside superstar power forward Anthony Davis.
Anderson’s smooth stroke from three-point range was a major part of what helped the Pelicans get to the Western Conference Playoffs in 2015, the first time in the Davis era (2012-present).
While the Pelicans didn’t win a game as the eighth seed against the top-seeded and eventual 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs in 2015, the Pelicans seemed poised to return to them in 2016 as possibly a 50-win team that could have home court advantage in round one.
However, ownership’s decision to fire popular head coach Monty Williams in favor of the ineffective Alvin Gentry, all while undermined by general manager Dell Demps’ head-scratching personnel decisions have led the Pelicans to a 13-27 record through their first 40 games on 2015-16. That’s good enough for 12th place in the Western Conference and 4.5 games back of eighth place Utah for the final playoff spot.
One of the few intriguing trade assets the Pelicans have is in Anderson, who is playing on the last year of his four-year deal worth $34 million he signed with New Orleans on July 12th, 2012. With the Pelicans likely out of the 2016 playoff mix and in dire need of long-term talent to put alongside Davis, here are five teams Demps could trade Anderson to before the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline.
Next: 5. Toronto Raptors