5 Realistic Targets for New Orleans Pelicans to Chase in 2015 NBA Free Agency
The NBA Finals sure look fun, eh?
Well, despite a first-round exit at the hands of the now-champion Golden State Warriors, the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t all that far from contending.
Even soon-to-be head coach Alvin Gentry shouted as much to Anthony Davis as he celebrated with the Dubs Wednesday night.
But to get that far, this summer is important.
John Reid of the Times-Picayune reported on June 11 that Eric Gordon is “leaning toward opting-in to play out the final year of his contract.” Given the shooting guard’s injury history, he’d be insane not to—even despite a report from RealGM’s Shams Charania that he’s “scoured the NBA market for a potential long-term deal out of New Orleans.”
Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson and Quincy Pondexter—the big dogs, basically—are all under contract for next season in New Orleans. Seven others will be free agents.
That means there will be some moving and shaking of the roster. General manager Dell Demps needs to head into this summer in search of a three-and-D wing, bench scoring and depth on the bench.
Let’s look at five free agents who check off some (or all) of those boxes.
5. Alan Anderson
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Alan Anderson will scrap on the defensive end and knock down open shots on the other.
He'll offer little more or little less.
After bouncing around overseas and then landing with the Toronto Raptors, the 32-year-old forward has averaged 7.3 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from distance his past two years with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets were rewarded by giving the veteran a chance two years ago, as he gave them way more than $2 million worth of service. This summer, he’ll opt out of the final year of his deal and look to cash in a bit.
"I’m free, so…I mean, I would love to stay in Brooklyn, but I am a free agent,” he told Newsday’s Rod Boone on May 2. “So I will be free."
Brooklyn owns his Bird rights, but could the promise of contention lure Anderson to New Orleans? It’s not out of the question. After all, Justin Bieber has a better chance of beating Shaquille O’Neal in an arm-wrestling contest than the Nets do of winning the East next year.
Anderson saw 23.1 minutes per game during his time in the borough. Given his ability to play (and defend) both the 2 and 3, he’d see that and then some on a rising team in the bayou.
4. Jared Dudley
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Another veteran three-and-D wing, Dudley has a more polished resume than Anderson does (hence the higher projected price tag), but he’d bring about the same to the table.
On June 9, Quentin Haynes wrote about the potential pairing for The Bird Writes on SB Nation:
"Going back to Dudley, his skill set is perfect for what the Pelicans need in either a bench role or as a starting small forward. Last season, Dudley averaged 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists on shooting splits of .468/.385/.716 in his age-29 season. He also has that playoff experience you want, playing 29 playoff games in three seasons over his career.
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Haynes also pointed to Dudley’s relationship with Gentry, who helped the forward make tremendous leaps during their time together on the Phoenix Suns. Dudley is coming off a five-year, $21 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, so it might be tough to spring him from such a comfortable situation.
But reuniting with a former coach and playing on a team with postseason hopes might do the trick. Jason Kidd and Milwaukee are up-and-coming, for sure, but the Bucks aren’t as close to serious winning as the Pelicans are.
Would signing Dudley bring the house down in New Orleans? Probably not. It would be surprising if a national talk show even ran a headline about it. However, this would be the kind of move that would give the team a few extra gusts of wind when its sails are most in need next year.
3. Chris Copeland
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The Chris Copeland-to-New Orleans rumors started right after the rookie from Belgium (by way of New Jersey) flashed his lethal three-point stroke in a breakout campaign with the New York Knicks.
That was in 2013. Two years have passed since then, and during that time the shaggy-haired forward has struggled with the Indiana Pacers. Indy lured him from N.Y. with a two-year, $6 million deal, but Copeland got paid mostly for sitting on the bench.
According to a New York Post report from Marc Berman on June 25, 2013, the Pels were planning on making “a strong bid for the [6’9”] sniper” and were prepared to make an offer that would have blown “Knicks owner James Dolan out of the water.”
Well, the Pacers and all of their legacy got the last laugh. But NOLA should make a second run at the restricted free agent, whose value has quite possibly never been lower.
The 31-year-old’s three-point percentage has gone down each year he’s been in the league, but he’s just two years removed from a season in which he shot 41.2 percent from distance.
Copeland isn’t an elite defender by any means, but he’s capable of hanging in there against a few positions.
Inking him would give New Orleans an additional shooter capable of pulling bigs out of the paint, which will aid Gentry’s run-and-gun system. He has a little bit of that J.R. Smith hot streak in his blood, but Copeland is more under control.
There was a reason the Pels wanted him two years ago. Now the team can get its wish and add some size, shooting and depth off the pine.
2. Danny Green
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Now we’re starting to look at the heavy hitters.
Danny Green is expected to make $10-$12 million per year, according to CBS Sports NBA Insider Ken Berger, which wouldn’t be backbreaking for the Pels. Think of it this way: Gordon is set to make close to $14 million, but if he leaves, that money could go to a better player like the San Antonio Spurs shooting guard.
But why would Green leave such a fruitful, championship environment? Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon tackled that question on June 15:
"If Green doesn't force himself into an offensive role that he's not capable of handling—which includes but is not limited to handling the ball—there's no reason why the soon-to-be 28-year-old can't earn another raise a few summers from now.
Regardless, can San Antonio afford to keep Green right now? While the Spurs are the best fit, they might not be the best financial option. Loyalty exists, but it doesn't always trump a payday.
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The Spurs have Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to take care of, and their fingers are crossed on someone like LaMarcus Aldridge rolling into town. Could that leave Green on the outskirts of San Antonio?
There’s no better place for revenge than the up-and-coming division rival Pelicans. Green, an elite three-point assassin, would flourish in an offense that features Davis as its unquestioned focal point. The two-way 2-guard could sit back and hit kick-out threes all day and then wreak havoc on the other end knowing he’s got AD behind him.
If Gordon opts in, this might be tough to swing. But if he opts out, the Pelicans should be all over Green.
1. DeMarre Carroll
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Ah, the main event—DeMarre “I’m about to get that money” Carroll.
The Atlanta Hawks swingman is fresh off a genuine breakout season for the No. 1 seed in the East. He averaged 11.8 points, 5.4 boards and 1.8 assists in the regular season but exploded in the playoffs for 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals per game.
He was, at many times, Atlanta’s best player in the postseason. A knee injury in the conference finals slowed him a bit, and it also put his looming payday in question. But Carroll, a true warrior, played through pain and did an admirable job on LeBron James.
His numbers dipped in the Eastern Conference Finals, but we can attribute much of that to both covering James and battling that knee injury.
Here’s how ESPN.com’s Kevin Arnovitz described Carroll’s free agency as his two-year, $5 million deal expires:
"Following Carroll's estimated annual salary on his next contract has been like tracking an internet stock you didn't buy soon enough. Since opening night, he's risen from a candidate for a contract in the neighborhood of the midlevel exception (which would still represent more than double his current paycheck), to someone who has a reasonable claim on an eight-figure salary.
Sources say the Hawks are bracing themselves for an asking price of 4 years and $50 million -- and given the postseason Carroll put together and the interest around the league, possibly even more. If the price tag is much higher than that, there's good reason to believe the flexibility-minded Hawks could bow out, though their strong preference is to retain Carroll, who has been an essential cog in their two-way success.
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Four years, $50 million (and maybe more) is a lot of money.
That's the type of money New Orleans should handle with caution, being that it still has to take care of AD down the line. But if Carroll is willing to leave his nest and do in New Orleans exactly what he did in Atlanta, Demps could make it work.
Perhaps that would mean trading Ryan Anderson and his rather heavy contract. But that’s OK, because it’d be a worthy sacrifice.
Carroll is the real deal. At just 28 years old with the heart of a pit bull, this guy is worth opening up the checkbook for in New Orleans. He could be the piece who jump-starts this team from a playoff participant to a championship contender.
All stats are accurate courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com. Contract information was sourced from Spotrac.com.
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