What moves should New Orleans make this summer to build around Anthony Davis?
Our NBA Insiders debate the future of the Pelicans.
1. What do you foresee and advise for the Pelicans this offseason?
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Insider: My first move would be to upgrade the medical and strength staff and bring it into the 21st century. According to injury guru Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com, the Pelicans lost 351 games due to injury, the most of any team in the past six seasons.
With an injury-riddled roster and a thin strength and training staff, they need to invest into player health first and foremost. That's more important than overpaying for free agents to come to a small market.
Justin Verrier, ESPN.com: Prudence. The pressure to rebound from last season's disappointment figures to loom large, which could result in another wave of moves designed to prioritize the immediate.
But with Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson going out and Anthony Davis locked in, the Pelicans have an opportunity to think big-picture. Use the next two summers to build something Davis can't leave four summers from now.
Jeremias Engelmann, ESPN Insider: I'm puzzled that Alvin Gentry survived such a bad season. Converting a 45-win team into a 30-win team and turning a franchise player into a shell of himself isn't what I want from my coach. The Pelicans actually played better without Davis on the floor -- a strong sign that he was cast in a role he isn't suited for. So they might start by finding a better coach.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: The Pelicans are a tough nut to crack because of some poor decisions over the years and horrific luck with injuries. The slate clears after next season but you've got to set the stage this summer. Landing Buddy Hield on draft night was a great start.
Since the Pelicans aren't positioned to attract impactful free agents, I'd hope for better health from the holdovers and target solid, role-playing veterans: Evan Turner, Luol Deng (yeah, I know -- Danny Ferry is there now), Jared Dudley, Matt Barnes, Marvin Williams, David West and the like.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: I'd advise looking for young free agents who fit with Davis' timeline and can grow with him. I'd also like to see the Pelicans lock up their own restricted free agents, James Ennis and Tim Frazier, to long-term contracts to allow them to make good on the potential they showed late in the season when injuries thrust them into larger roles.
2. With Anthony Davis starting a four-year deal (plus an option year), how should the Pelicans approach the next four seasons?
Haberstroh: Davis is just nine months older than Hield, who will turn 23 in December. I only bring that up to emphasize how young Davis is and how premature the Pelicans' push to contention was in the past couple years. The Pelicans need to build to maximize 2018-19 and 2019-20 when he hits his prime, not now.
Verrier: As a fresh start. Artificially accelerating their timeline by trading lottery tickets for young veterans hasn't panned out (and would be costing them now, even if it had). They don't need to start over from the studs, but pulling back to the long view -- maybe another lottery pick, more players closer to Davis' age -- would help provide a clear direction and avoid a vicious cycle of having to trade another superstar in his prime.
Engelmann: Their No. 1 goal should be to have a healthy Davis. Don't make him play through nagging injuries. In a best-case scenario, they can lure free agents enticed by playing with Davis. So if Davis is healthy and returns to form, the Pelicans should be able to make a good pitch to the major free agents in the summer of 2017.
Doolittle: The time to build methodically through the draft with young talent was three years ago, but the Pelicans have systematically squandered their opportunity to do that. Now they have to put veterans around Davis who can get the team back into the playoffs and hope that will be enough to attract another star sometime in the next couple of years. The clock is ticking, and teams like the Bulls are already licking their chops over the prospect of Davis' future free agency.
Pelton: The goal should be continual improvement so they're peaking when Davis nears the apex of his development. That doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing winning now, but it does mean making it a secondary priority compared to the long-term value of the players they add to the roster. Alas, that seems unlikely given the desire to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
3. Do you see Davis as a future NBA MVP?
Haberstroh: Yes. His stock took a step backward this season, but admittedly I expected too much from Davis (who was 22 at the start of last season) and Gentry, who had an up-and-down debut season in New Orleans. When Davis played with Jrue Holiday, he achieved MVP-level basketball. If health cooperates, he'll dazzle once again. But again, New Orleans' track record in that department is ugly.
Verrier: If he can get the team success to match. Last season certainly dulled his star, but this is the same 23-year-old who holds one of the best single-season PERs in history and a statistical profile befitting young Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard. Yet even at his best (so far) the Pelicans just snuck into the playoffs, and he's yet to play in more than 68 regular-season games, which gets us into chicken-and-egg territory.
Engelmann: I'd say his chances are less than 15 percent. Davis was great in 2014-15, but then took a giant step back. He isn't an iron man, either -- he's played less than 70 games in each of his four NBA seasons -- which will probably hurt his case in the future. Also, MVPs generally come from the winningest teams in the league, and I have a hard time picturing the Pelicans in that group.
Doolittle: Absolutely. If Davis adopts the mindset that he's going to be the best defensive player in the league for the next half-decade, he can be an MVP candidate based on his impact on that end alone. But his offensive potential is almost as immense. He needs to avoid becoming too face-up oriented and must improve his ability to make plays for others.
Pelton: Not at this point, no. The knee debridement he underwent this spring is a long-term concern and Davis still needs to become a far more consistent defensive presence to reach MVP-caliber. Perhaps more problematic from his standpoint is the number of candidates who have risen up, including Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook and the even younger Karl-Anthony Towns, in addition to the reigning MVP, Steph Curry.
4. What trade would you like to see New Orleans make?
Haberstroh: I'd try to take Josh McRoberts off the Heat's hands and help them carve out more cap space. Yes, he's another injury-riddled player. But they need guys who can get Davis the ball and McRoberts' playmaking skills and toughness are perfect to complement Davis. McRoberts is as good as a passing big as you'll find.
Verrier: Flipping Tyreke Evans for a draft pick. Offloading Omer Asik's albatross is the priority, but I can't stretch reality that far, even in a hypothetical. Evans has had three right knee procedures in the past year and his ball-pounding proved an ill fit in Gentry's system. They could use whatever extra space to overpay a restricted free agent or rent it out in trades to acquire more future assets.
Engelmann: None. I have a hard time seeing other teams being interested in anyone but Davis, Evans, rookies or draft picks. I wouldn't want to deal picks away -- the Pelicans need some sort of safety net. Davis is obviously not getting dealt unless he demands it, and Evans is playing good basketball (real plus-minus of 1.1) for a decent price of $10 million.
Doolittle: Send Holiday and Asik to Minnesota for Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic. You get Rubio's perimeter defense and ability to get the ball to Davis in his sweet spots. Pekovic scores inside and hammers the glass and, next to Davis, you don't sweat his defense. The Wolves get Holiday for a season to mentor Kris Dunn and, in Asik, a guy Tom Thibodeau adores.
Pelton: I'd like to see them shop Evans, who's entering the final season of his contract, is something of a health risk and didn't seem to fit well in Gentry's offense. Before the draft, I suggested Boston as a possible destination, but I'm not sure the Pelicans would be interested in a future first-round pick, so perhaps they'd have to recruit a third team who can offer immediate help.
5. If the Pelicans were a stock and you were looking ahead three years, would you buy, sell or hold?
Haberstroh: Hold. It seems ludicrous not to "buy" an organization that employs Anthony Davis, but the medical staff, front office instability and ownership uncertainty make me nervous. There are too many questions here for me to get excited about the Pelicans' future, which is a shame because Davis is a generational prospect.
Verrier: Hold. The first team built around Davis didn't work (and/or stay healthy), and New Orleans, traditionally a nonfactor at the highest levels of free agency, doesn't have a clear path to an appreciably better one. But all analysis of New Orleans' trajectory ultimately comes down to, "If Davis is amazing again ..." Given that he's just 23 with four NBA seasons, it's hard to bet against that.
Engelmann: Hold. It's easy to make a case for buying, as the Pelicans have a young superstar locked up long-term. But after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign, Davis needs to again show that he can consistently be a high-impact player. There's also potential for disaster here, if Davis' injury issues take a turn for the worse.
Doolittle: Buy. All you have to do is look at NBA history to realize that having a potential best-player-in-the-world talent is the most important and hardest-to-obtain piece of the championship puzzle. If GM Dell Demps and Gentry can't figure out the other pieces, there are plenty of other smart people in the league who will.
Pelton: Sell. Yes, the Pelicans have the toughest piece of the puzzle in place. But we've seen that not be enough in the past, and if Davis doesn't develop quite as much as we hope, he might not be enough on his own to overcome the limitations of the roster around him.