NBA Trade Deadline: 5 teams primed to make big trades
By Tom West
1. New Orleans Pelicans
One player who will surely be on the move soon is Ryan Anderson. The Pelicans will be reluctant to let him go as he’s the ideal floor spacing power forward in today’s three-point happy NBA, but they simply can’t afford to lose him for nothing in free agency. He’s making $8.5 million this season, and when the summer rolls around before the salary cap soars for 2016-17, Anderson is going out of their price range.
He’s one of the players most likely to be traded by the deadline because of this, as a premier stretch four like Anderson can command a hefty contract in free agency. With 16.9 points per game and 38.6 percent three-point shooting, he’ll be one of the most sought after commodities.
There will be plenty of teams interested, so you can expect to see Anderson dealt somewhere as the Pelicans hope to bring in a worthy return.
Tyreke Evans is another player who could have been on the move. However, he’s now out for the season after having surgery on his right knee, because the Pelicans can never catch a break when it comes to health. This has obviously dealt a major blow to Evans’ trade value, but if a team is looking to add his talents for 2016-17, there’s still a small chance he could be dealt. His fit as a primary ball handler who loves to drive and create his own shot doesn’t always help the team’s ball movement, which gives the Pelicans some motivation to still look for deals.
As Ken Berger of CBS Sports has reported, the Pelicans are listening to deals for multiple starters:
"The Pelicans have, on the other hand, exhibited a willingness to consider deals for Eric Gordon and/or Tyreke Evans. (Though forget about Evans; he’s reportedly having right knee surgery and could miss the rest of the season.)"
What the Pelicans have in place just isn’t working. Even with all the injury problems they’ve faced and employing a different offensive style with new head coach Alvin Gentry, they still shouldn’t be this bad. Their playmakers don’t mesh well, their defense is ranked 27th in the NBA despite having Anthony Davis as their leader, and their interior defense is absolutely useless.
Changes need to be made, and that seems to be what the Pelicans have acknowledged. While Evans may now stay put, they have still been looking for deals for Anderson and Eric Gordon. In fact, ESPN’s Marc Stein has reported that they attempted a trade for Rudy Gay:
"Sacramento, for example, rejected New Orleans’ recent offer of Eric Gordon and Alonzo Gee for Gay before Gordon suffered a fractured finger that will keep him out until after the deadline. They don’t want to move him just for the sake of it."
Well, that trade got absolutely nowhere, but maybe something else will. The Pelicans will be brining in a significant talent in exchange for Anderson and if they continue to search for other possibilities, they’re another team who could be aiming pretty high.