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New Orleans Pelicans Free Agency Tracker

The New Orleans Pelicans appear to be one the most active teams in free-agency thus far with links to a number of prolific players. This article will have all the updates and rumors as they are spread across the interwebs so stay tuned.

Evans Wants Change of Scenery, Will Sign Offer Sheet With Pelicans

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Tyreke Evans wants out of Sacramento and is prepared to sign the four year, $44 million offer sheet with the Pelicans. Apparently, he is frustrated by their lack of aggressiveness in pursuing him and wants out. The question is: Do the Kings do exactly what we did just last year with Eric Gordon and match anyway, or do they let him go? It seems to me that some sort of sign and trade works best for all parties.

Now, on to the next order of business. In order to get far enough under the cap to sign Evans, the Pelicans need to trade Robin Lopez and can only take minimal salary back in return. Ideally, a guy on a rookie contract, drafted in the 20’s or in the 2nd round plus a future pick or two would come our way for the 7-foot center.

Tyreke Decision Possibly Coming Today

After a strange night that saw the Kings pull their offer to Andre Iguodala, it looks like Tyreke Evans might make his decision today.

 

If Tyreke gives a verbal agreement, then the next step will be Dell trying to move Robin Lopez. To give Evans the 4 year, $44 million deal that is being reported, Dell will have to either release Lopez or trade him and get little to no salary in return. And you would have to think Vasquez would be out the door as well if Evans joins the Pelicans. The one thing that could throw a monkey wrench into all of this is if the Kings decide to match the offer.

Kings Closing In on a Deal with Iguodala; Tyreke Closer to Joining Pelicans?

My Sports Legion is reporting that the Kings are closing in on a deal with Andre Iguodala, while Marc Stein reports that Kings are shifting their focus from Tyreke Evans to Iguodala. Kings can’t afford both, so unless a third team enters the mix, it looks like Evans to New Orleans is extremely likely.

 

 

Two More Pelicans Targets Off the Market

Chase Budinger has accepted a 3 year, 16 million dollar offer with the Timberwolves, and the Wolves have also signed Kevin Martin to a 4 yr/28 million dollar contract. 12 million dollars a year for those two. Would you rather have those two or Tyreke?

Update: Nuggets Make Huge Offer to Iguodala

Looks like we know why Dell switched his focus to Tyreke

 

This was their 1st offer, keep in mind, which means they are willing to go higher. While the average is just 1.6 mil per year more than Tyreke, the Pelicans would have likely had to go way over that average to convince him to take a four year deal. My theory all along is that Dell’s ex-right hand man told him that the Nuggets would go big to keep Iggy, so Dell focused in on Tyreke.

Latest on Tyreke as of 2:30 PM, Tuesday

Per information coming from inside the Hawks organization, the Hawks took a meeting with Evans today because they will pursue him if and only if Dwight Howard agrees to sign with them. Howard asked them in his meeting who their third star would be next to him and Al Horford. The Hawks believe that they have an outside shot at Howard if they can promise him a third star. They see Tyreke as that guy. If Howard informs them that he will sign elsewhere, they will not pursue Evans per the source.

This is all very interesting because you have to believe that Dell needs an answer by July 5th at the latest. That is the last day he can cut Robin Lopez and get the cap space required to sign Tyreke to the offer sheet. The longer this drags out, the worse of a position Dell is in. Yes, he can always move Lopez in a trade after the 5th, but the teams interested in Lopez are probably on a time table too. Very delicate situation. Hopefully, Howard informs the Hawks soon that he will not sign and then Tyreke can agree to our offer.

Update: Pelicans going after Corey Brewer as well?

It seems that New Orleans has plans for their small-forward position beyond Tyreke Evans

Dell is likely putting feelers out there for all prospects. If Dell can move Lopez and Vasquez and take no money back, he can offer Brewer a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 years/17 million. Or, he can offer him the room exception, which is approximately 2 years and 6 million dollars.

Update: Tyreke Evans: Super Sixth Man?

Apparently, Dell is looking to use Evans like Manu.

This is exactly what Ryan proposed on last nights’ podcast and it actually makes the most sense. The reported deal is for 4 years and $40 million. The Pelicans can get to that by shedding Vasquez or Smith. Won’t necessarily have to move Gordon or Lopez.

Update: Tyreke Evans Could Agree to a Deal with Pelicans as Early as Tonight

 

 

Apparently, Dell has put a big offer down and Evans is meeting with a couple of teams (including the Kings) to see if they are willing to match or beat the offer. If the offer is as big as sources are reporting ($11 million per year), that means that the Pelicans would have to shed another $5 million or so to get the deal down. Coincidentally, they have until July 5th to decide whether or not they want to bring Robin Lopez back, and cutting him would save $4.6 million.

One option the Pelicans can take is they can offer Lopez to Sacramento as part of a sign and trade for Evans. This would be incentive for the Kings not to match. The Pelicans could also do something similar with Vasquez and Smith going to Sacramento. New coach Mike Malone is a big fan of Smith’s, and if the Pelicans move those two in a sign and trade, they can keep their core together, giving them a starting five of Holiday, Gordon, Evans, Davis, and Lopez with Rivers and Anderson as the primary weapons off the bench.

Or the Pelicans could have a deal lined up where they move Eric Gordon and save money that way. Plenty of options are on the table, but first Evans has to agree, and perhaps even more important, Sacramento has to decline to match.

Pelicans linked with Andre Iguodala

According to Yahoo! Sports Marc Spears the New Orleans Pelicans are strongly interested in F Andre Iguodala. The free-agent swing-man is camped in California waiting for executives to make their pitch to him. This would be a tremendous fit for an organisation looking to fill-out their core. This would indicate that Eric Gordon is still involved in the Pelicans plans for the future.

Iguodala opted out of his contract that had a significant amount of money attached to it. It signals that he and his agent expect him to receive offers of $12 million a season for 3 years.

UPDATE: New Orleans May or May Not Be Meeting with Tyreke Evans

There are some conflicting reports out there that Tyreke Evans and the New Orleans Pelicans will be meeting together. However it is clear that the organisation IS interested in the G/F who last played for Sacramento. Evans is a restricted free-agent so any offer can be matched by the Kings. However Sacramento appears unwilling to match beyond a certain point.

According the TNT’s David Aldridge the Pelicans are set to meet with Evans with a substantial offer-sheet.

 

 

Tyreke Evans is a tremendously gifted player. He can finish around the basket very well and is underrated defensively. He really needs to improve his jumpshot though. From his rookie season to now Evans has only improved in the 16 feet-3PT range by 2% (~32%-~34%).

A big offer for Evans could be in the range of $6-$10 million a season. Would be interested to see for how many years that would be. Evans’ PER and many other statistical categories have declined since his outstanding rookie-season. However the situation in Sacramento has been so grave that it would be tough for any player to develop. Tyreke is still only 23 years old so he has plenty of room for development.

One of the skills that are more easily able to improve is a jump-shot. Evans’ shot selection can be sporadic at times, but that could be because he’s been relied upon to be much more of a creator than he should be.

It appears that while the Pelicans will offer Evans a significant contract that he will take his time in making his decision according to Marc Spears. Kings still in the mix.

UPDATE: It appears that Tyreke Evans does not want any extensive time at small-forward according to ESPN Cowbell Kingdom’s Jonathan Santiago.

 

Pelicans and Others Very Interested in Chase Budinger

It seems that New Orleans’ options are not limited to one player. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski New Orleans is aggressive in its pursuit for the small-forward.

The Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans have made his signing a priority, and several teams have secondary interest, including Utah, Indiana and Memphis, front-office sources told Y! Sports.

The T’wolves and Pelicans need his shooting, and plan to be aggressive suitors for Budinger, league sources said.

Budinger is coming off a significant injury that kept him out of most of the 2012-13 NBA Season.

New Orleans might go after Kevin Martin

We have always known about Dell Demps’ infactuation with scoring guards, especially Kevin Martin. It comes as no surprise that the Pelicans will be linked to the guard this free-agent. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears (again awesome coverage from he and Woj) New Orleans, OKC, Milwaukee, Dallas and Detroit are all going after him.

Martin is a very efficient scorer and a player who can fill a role for a team lacking in that department. The issue for Martin has always been injuries. Can he stay healthy? Last season he did just that and so his value is on the rise.

This is more interesting of what it might say about Eric Gordon. Does this indicate that Dell is going to move ahead with his plans regardless of Gordon’s trade value? I guess it makes sense, but could display more pessimism about his situation.

Chris Copeland and New Orleans Linked

According the the New York Post’s Marc Berman the Pelicans appear to be connected to Knicks forward Chris Copeland.

According to an NBA source, the newly named New Orleans Pelicans are planning to make a strong bid for the 6-foot-9 sniper as they are well under the salary cap and can make an offer that will blow Knicks owner James Dolan out of the water.

Copeland, a 28 year old rookie, expanded his role in New York which saw him as a 3-point specialist who could add an offensive rebounding presence. It would appear that the Pelicans would utilize Copeland as a bench player who could space the floor.

This article will contain all the updates and rumors pertaining to free-agency, so stay tuned. Give @jsgrayson @mcnamara247 @MasonGinsberg @palochak [Michael Pellissier] @NOLAJake [Jake Madison] and @BourbonStreetShots for free-agency fun!

James Grayson

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47 responses to “New Orleans Pelicans Free Agency Tracker”

  3. Wishful thinking. What if we sign and trading greivis what yall think is chance we talk tyreke into Manu role backing up multiple positions and bringing the pain off bench, use an exception to get mid level starting 3

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    • Houpgarou Think they see him as a SG/SF guy. But they probably just love his skill-set. Decent ball-handler with an elite ability to get to the basket. Needs to improve his jump-shot. Don’t think of the roster as a set in stone thing. It’s transparent and ever changing. 
      I think Dell wants guys who have skills in certain positions and who transcend the traditional notion of positions in the NBA.

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      • I hear you and get that. I was wondering –
        1 are tyreke and eg seen as mutually exclusive.
        2 if not, could tyreke be convinced to come here as sixth man while we still pursue 3&D guy as starter

      • Houpgarou 1. No, but just my view. 2. No, Tyreke will want to be a starter. No player who is in his young-20’s who was once Rookie of the year will move to a team where his role is diminished.

  4. Since Houston is reportedly trying to dump Asik and his $8 million, anyone think Demps could convince Morey to move him in his own division?

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    • Patrick504 Could happen, but New Orleans would basically have to take on his contract. Houston wants to make room for Dwight. So if this scenario was to play out I’d expect the Pelicans to decline Lopez’s option then bring him on. Would have to send some value in return as well.

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      • I’ve wondered this aloud here several times, still not sure of answer- if we swap them Lopez 4 asik, is rolo’s $ still unguaranteed so they can just cut him & call it a day

      • palochak Houpgarou The Pelicans can cut him to make Cap Room, but they can’t trade him and have the other team cut him, as the date is reportedly before the end of the moratorium.

      • Jason Calmes palochak Houpgarou Damn you, Jason! Always throwing wrenches. Didn’t even cross my mind.

    • I would love to acquire Asik. I think we could give them Vasquez for him straight up. That would cut about 6 million off their cap to help sign Dwight. Asik would be a fantastic get IMO.

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      • adogg57 Asik is an awesome defender/rebounder. Definitely a player. Terrible on offense, but D is worth it

  5. Houston waived Carlos Delfino, he plays the 3 and shoots the 3 very well. I was also impressed with his defense on Kevin Durant in the playoffs this year. Think Dell’s taking a look at this guy?

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  7. dell and monty have always liked the idea of having guys on the roster who can play multiple positions which is why I think they have interest in guys like Copeland and Evans.
    But I’m wondering whether they see tyreke existing as a small forward on this roster next to Gordon and holiday after he spent a bit of time at the 3 last season or, could Gordon could be on the move asap?
    Evans is definitely going to be had for less than max money so I’m wondering if dell see’s tyreke primarily playing the 3 along side Gordon or Gordon being moved and therefore freeing up cap space to throw a max at someone like iggy?
    What y’all think…..

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    • Aussie Pels Fan Very excellent questions and they will be answered in time. There are conflicting reports out there regarding Evans’ role with the team. Some say he’s going to be a “Manu” type, others say he has no desire to play the 3. 
      My estimation is that Dell is giving Monty flexibility in his lineups, coupled with talent. I wouldn’t think of these players as PG SG SF PF C. Think of them like this. Ball-Handlers, Creators, Shooters, Slashers, Big Men etc. 
      Maybe Eric Gordon gets moved, maybe he doesn’t. It’s my belief that Dell is just trying to bring in more talent and still have options down the line. Whether a Gordon opportunity presents itself or not remains to be seen, but in the meantime he’s going to try and make things work.

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  8. I’m not for helping division rivals get a franchise center, but it seems Houston & Dallas are having a FIRE SALE!  Could pick up some assets for next to nothing.

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    • Caffeinedisaster I agree Houston has some assets, but unfortunately I feel like there’s no gold to mine from that barren Dallas locker room

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    • Caffeinedisaster That’s the word, but there’s also the word that he’s agreed to sign our offer sheet.  That of course means one of multiple possibilities:He’s changed his mind (w/o being bribed) about not wanting to play SF.He’ll play SF for $11/year even though he won’t love it.EG will be moved.DD is less clever than we thought.DD + MW lied to TE.  (That one I doubt.)TE lied to DD+MW about willingness to play SF, in order to get the cash and then play half-assed on a guaranteed contract.

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  9. Tyreke wants no part of a situation where he gets extensive minutes as a 3.  If that’s the case, don’t see us getting him as Dell wants versatility

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  11. What if Dealer Dell is floating the “idea” of Tyreke being our 6th man just to throw people off the scent – that he has a deal in place for EG10 and Tyreke will be our new cheaper/healthier 2.  
    Holiday / Evans / Iggy / Davis / Lopez

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    • Roger.That. Well the second he calls someone about Eric Gordon that “scent” will be lost. Like many people have said before Evans is 6’6″ with nearly 7’0″ wingspan. Andre Iguodala has exact same measurables.

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    • j_diggs Why not? Andre Iguodala is listed as such and both he and Evans are 6’6″ with 6’11” wingspan. Not sure I follow what you’re saying here.

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      • jsgrayson I’m just saying that it may be wishful thinking on our part.  I know that Dell doesn’t care about slotting guys into positions, etc, but some players might be a bit stubborn about their role–or at least their perceived role.  Not saying it wouldn’t work, just saying that idk if Tyreke is at that point in his career where he is willing to take on whatever role is needed to win.

      • j_diggs jsgrayson You’re right. There has been reports from his camp that he will not sign if he’s going to play the 3. Others say he’s going to be a multi-position player (whatever that means). 
        The guy is 23 years old so I’d be very interested to see how this plays out.

  13. Assuming Gordon isn’t traded and that the Evan deal is for $40M-$48M with later year incentives, what do we have to give in a sign and trade to fit Evan under the cap?  Vasquez alone or Vasquez and Smith?  (I am only good with Vasquez alone.)

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    • 504ever Lopez will have to be moved, Terrell Harris have his option declined. That is all.
      No plans to move Gordon. Possible that GV gets packaged with Lopez. Tons of options on the table. Dont think Gordon will be moved.

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      • jsgrayson RonJohn63 In this case, type means similar.   Thus, I don’t understand your comment, since comparing players who are supposed to have similar roles is completely valid analysis.

        Manu made $13M this past year, and TE would “only” make $11.  However, MG has a great track record and TE… well, not so much.
        I have this sneaking suspicion that while DD is great at finding inexpensive diamonds in the rough, his big money deals are not so wise.

    • 504ever they can’t really sign until the 10th. They can verbally declare their intentions, and that is pretty binding. It doesn’t kick of anything official, of course.

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  17. Blazer fan here…how do Pelican fans view Lopez? Do you guys like him or are you wanting to move him?

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    • pdxleon Hey, man. He’s on a fair deal and is serviceable. He had no injury issues this past year. He’s pretty slow, so defense will need to account for that, and you’re not getting him on the break. 
      Summary: He’s worth his deal, which is $5m+ each year for this season and next.
      He may got to the Kings, or at least be involved in the Evans deal, should it go down.

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    • pdxleon Terrible pick n roll defender, can score in low post, good enough to start but not on a good team.  He’s a good backup

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  18. I’d rather have Tyreke than Chase &/or Martin. It’d be nice if we could add in Brewer or something too.  See how that plays out

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  19. I doubt Demps will let Tyreke go to another team.  Seems like he usually gets the players he goes after

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  20. Any thoughts on Paul Millsap? He is from La and I think he could play SF. Just something to throw out there.

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