Pelicans Anthony Davis Trade Benefits

The Lakers Trade

Davis’ Pelicans contract gave him the choice to enter free agency in the summer of 2020. He said he would not resign. So, instead of the Pelicans getting one more half-hearted season out of the superstar, they made a blockbuster trade with the Lakers. They received three young stars and the number 4 overall pick. They then traded the picks traded to the Atlanta Hawks for 2 first-round picks and a second-round pick. In the end, the Pelicans received Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Marcos Louzada Silva. Lonzo Ball leads the team in APG with 7 and Brandon Ingram leads the team with 24 PPG.

The new young team, along with having a far better record and standing than last season, has adapted into a much better 3 point shooting team. They improved from 34.4% to 37.2% in a statistic which is just becoming more important every season. 

Anthony Davis’ Role in Getting Zion

If that’s not enough to prove the Anthony Davis trade was nothing but positive for the Pelicans, it’s fair to say that the strained relationship the Pelicans had with AD played a role in them obtaining the number 1 overall pick.

On January 28 of last season, Davis and his agent publicly requested a trade and said that he had no intention of resigning with the Pelicans. At the same time, he was inactive due to an injury to his index finger While the doctors told him it would only keep him out for 1-2 weeks, AD missed 21 of the remaining 35 games. For 9 of those games, he was listed as “did not dress” which means he was on the active roster but didn’t play. After he requested the trade, not only did he sit out a lot of games he could have played, but in the 14 games he did dress for, he averaged just 17 PPG. For him, this is notably sub-par.

Lastly, before Davis got injured and requested a trade, the Pelicans sat just four games out of the playoffs. In the final 32 games after the trade request, the Pelicans went 11-21, finishing in 14th place in the west. If the Pelicans never traded Davis, they most likely would have had no chance at the number 1 overall pick.

Conclusion

The Pelicans had a completely different look this year after ultimately adding 6 new players to their official roster from the Antony Davis trade. As a result, they have a far better record. It’s pretty incredible what they were able to do with a very talented player who would have only stayed for one more year even without the trade. While the fans will miss the exciting superstar in Anthony Davis, they now have one of the most electric young players the game has ever seen in Zion Williamson, alongside other young stars like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and more. After AD requested a trade, many saw the Pelicans having a long rebuilding process ahead; however, in one off-season they have built a team full of young stars envied by owners across the league.

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