Thursday, February 20th, 2 PM
The 2014 NBA trade deadline comes and goes with no movement from the New Orleans Pelicans.
Update: Wednesday, February 19th, 10 PM
Ramona Shelburne reports that the Pelicans are one of three teams to be in negotiations with the Lakers for big man Jordan Hill. New Orleans could use their disabled player exception granted from the Ryan Anderson injury to take in Hill’s salary without sending anything else out. Late last night, she updated her stance, claiming that the Nets and Pelicans are the leaders in the pursuit of Hill.
Update: Tuesday, February 18th, 1 PM
According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Pelicans may receive the “disabled player exception” for Ryan Anderson. You can read more about the exception on Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ, but in short, it would allow New Orleans to either A) Sign a player for no more than half of Ryan Anderson’s 2013-14 salary for the remainder of this season, or B) trade for a player who is in the final year of his contract and making no more than half of Ryan Anderson’s 2013-14 salary plus $100,000. If the 2013-14 non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,150,000) was less than this amount, then the Pelicans would be constrained to that value; however, half of Anderson’s salary ($4,154,250) is the lesser of the two.
Update: Tuesday, February 18th, 9 AM
Per Ken Berger of CBS Sports, the Pelicans have made Anthony Morrow available in exchange for “a draft pick.” While his standalone value would likely not be higher than a second round pick, he is shooting an incredible 48% from 3-point range this season, a skill that is often coveted. Morrow holds a player option for next season in the amount of $1.15 million.
Update: Monday, February 17th, 8:30 PM
Rivers and Pierre Jackson both on the way out?
The recent Yahoo Power Rankings have this juicy little nugget in it
Source said New Orleans could be trading guard Austin Rivers and the rights to hot-scoring D-League guard Pierre Jackson.
One way or another, this team has six guards that all like the ball in their hands and have a knack for scoring if you include Jackson. With Anthony Davis bound to get more shots as time goes on, and Ryan Anderson being such a deadly scorer as well, it just makes sense to move two of these guys between now and the beginning of next year. The only question is: Which two?
Update: Monday, February 17th, 2:25 PM
Pelicans Shopping Gordon, Willing to Add Salary
Sean Devaney reports that the Pelicans are looking to move Gordon, and would be willing to take on salary to do so. Also, reporting that they are looking for a big man. If true, a couple of deals that could make sense include:
Eric Gordon for Jarrett Jack and Anderson Varejao
Eric Gordon for Javale McGee and Wilson Chandler or Danilo Galinari
Those are two teams that have interest in Pierre Jackson as well, so perhaps he could be included as part of the deal.
Update: Monday, February 17th, 10:00 AM
Tom Haberstroh posted 5 trade ideas (not rumors, simply ideas) in today’s ESPN Per Diem, including one involving the Pelicans. Here is the trade on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine (must be an ESPN insider to read his reasoning). His reasoning for the Knicks potentially being willing to exchange Chandler for Gordon consists of the regression of the 31 year old Chandler along with his public disagreement in regards to Mike Woodson’s defensive scheme.
Monday, February 17th, 8:00 AM
With the NBA trade deadline only 3 days away, we have officially reached the dreaded “speculation mode.” From now until 2 PM central time on Thursday, lots of ideas will be thrown around with varying degrees of legitimacy (though frequently skewed towards the improbable side). That being said, if a rumor comes from any source with merit, this is where you can find it.
Have a trade idea to propose? Post it on our Facebook Page. We’ll take those that we deem most realistic and analyze them in a separate post later this week (which we’ll also link to here), as well as cite you for the idea. We highly recommend using the NBA Trade Machine (and then write in any draft picks exchanged if necessary). Scroll to the bottom to see real-time updates of relevant trade rumors and other chatter.
In addition, numerous outlets have reported that the Pelicans are amongst the most active teams in trade discussions. Nearly everyone outside of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday has had their name floated out there over the last few months, with Eric Gordon, Pierre Jackson, and Austin Rivers being the most frequently mentioned names. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the players the Pelicans can move and who they could be looking for in return.
(Thanks to Michael McNamara for the below insight on the Pelicans’ movable parts)
Eric Gordon
Contract Status: $14.9 million in ’14-’15, Player option for $15.5 million in ’15-’16.
Why the Pelicans might trade him: (See Above). Honestly, with Gordon it is all about the salary. He is being paid like a franchise player, and he simply doesn’t play like one. When this team is fully healthy, he has too many redundant skills and when others are hurt, he isn’t able to take over games like a player with his salary should.
Why the Pelicans might keep him: Because they have to. In an ideal world, the Pelicans move Gordon for a small forward or center that can balance out this roster, but teams aren’t lining up to overpay a player who has had some attitude issues in the past. Contrary to what Dell Demps might say publicly, the Pelicans are trying to move him, but opposing GM’s have been hesitant to offer anything of value for Gordon since the Pelicans matched his max contract.
Interested Teams: Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Charlotte
Detroit, Cleveland, and Charlotte all have playoff aspirations and Gordon would give them upgrades at the shooting guard position. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has essentially clinched the worst record in the NBA and have several players who reportedly want to get out, leading to some trade rumors involving Gordon recently.
The dream trade would be Gordon for Greg Monroe and an expiring contract, followed closely by Eric Gordon for Ben Gordon and either a pick or a young player. More realistically, the Pelicans will have to take at least one questionable contract back to get Gordon off the books. Something like Caron Butler and Gary Neal could make sense for both teams.
Pierre Jackson
Contract Status: Unsigned. Usually, guys picked in his range get 3 year deals worth about 2.2 million, with a team having the option to make him a RFA in year 4.
Why the Pelicans might trade him: Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts. Five guys who all tend to dominate the ball are sitting ahead of Pierre Jackson, and even if one or two of them is moved, there isn’t a huge need for Jackson’s skill set on the roster. Combine that with the fact that there is some heavy buzz around Jackson right now, and he could be moved this week.
Why the Pelicans might keep him: If there is one move that could really get fans excited about these last thirty games, it would be calling up Pierre Jackson to the big leagues. Short guys are always fan favorites, and he is a dynamic scorer who has the potential to make some jaw dropping plays. And if he isn’t called up this year, he could essentially be the Pelicans rookie next season or he might be able to be moved in the summer for more than he can get now if he finishes off his D-League season strong.
Interested Teams: Denver, Cleveland
Denver lost Nate Robinson for the year, a guy Pierre Jackson is often compared to, while Cleveland is always looking for explosive scorers to take some pressure off Kyrie Irving. Both teams have some extra draft picks and young wing players that could interest Dell Demps. Denver has a good relationship with Nuggets GM Tim Connolly, so that could help facilitate a trade as the deadline gets close.
Other Possible Exports
Austin Rivers – There have been reports that the Pelicans have a deal in place if they want to pull the trigger, along with word that Boston is still interested in Rivers. But Austin has been playing better as of late, and it doesn’t make much sense to move him while his value is so low.
Al-Farouq Aminu, Greg Stiemsma – Expiring contracts always have some value around the deadline, and these are the two biggest expiring’s on the books.
Brian Roberts – There are a few teams that are in need of a backup point guard as they make a playoff run. Andre Miller is a name that is getting a lot of buzz, but Roberts is a much cheaper option that teams will likely have to give up less for. A team like Washington could bite, for instance.
Other News and Notes
– The Pelicans cannot trade their 2015 first round pick, due to the fact that a team can not owe two consecutive picks.
– Al-Farouq Aminu is the one player on the team who can veto a trade.
– Luke Babbitt and Alexis Ajinca are not eligible to be traded.
– We will keep this thread updated with all the latest rumors throughout the week. In the meantime, feel free to use the NBA Trade Machine and leave some of your ideas below. Also, check out our latest NBA Trade Deadline podcast.
39 responses to “New Orleans Pelicans NBA Trade Deadline Rumor Mill”
You guys don’t think Morrow is a candidate to be moved? Good, cheap shooters aren’t around very often, there have to be some teams interested in him.
bigindian Best case scenario for Dell would be that a playoff team would offer a 2nd round pick for him. That pick would be in the 50’s. Dell would be better served keeping him and maybe resigning him in the offseason after he opts out. Maybe he can be a throw in with some trade, but I would be surprised if he was the centerpiece of some small deal.
I like the article.
In my mind it’s trade Gordon or do very little to nothing. This team as constructed is guard heavy with Gordon’s salary making him the player who has to leave sooner or later. (I give him 12 months at most.) That fact makes trading other guards problematic; we will likely need them once Gordon is gone.
Also, with 15 players under contract, I believe we need a 3rd team to take back more players than we give. So we can trade the extra player for a draft pick or, less likely, cash.
I hope we don’t trade Pierre Jackson as I like the idea of a change of pace PG on the roster. And, as much as I question Austin River’s game (and tweener size and skill set), I don’t see us getting anything significant for him at this point in his career. So I think we keep him and gamble on his improvement.
Tyson Chandler playing with Anthony Davis…GIVE ME SOME OF THAT!
I’ll be following this post!
Pelicans get Wilson Chandler
Nuggets get Aminu, Stiemsma, and the rights to Pierre Jackson
With injuries to Nate, McGee, Gallinari, and Andre Miller not wanting to play, the Nuggets have 4 guys giving them no production at all while the team desperately fights for that eight-seed. Adding Aminu, Stiemsma, and P-Jack gives them immediate depth throughout the roster while not committing to long-term salary, as Aminu and Stiemsma are on expiring deals and Jackson will be on a team-friendly rookie contract. Aminu and Jackson would be perfect fits in Denver’s up and down style of play, and Stiemsma adds size to an undersized front court. This trade allows them to still compete for a playoff spot this year and allows them to re-sign Jordan Hamilton this offseason.
For the Pelicans, Chandler is a big wing who can space the floor and is a more than capable defender, a perfect fit for our team on a very good contract. He also fits Dell’s “young veteran” description.
If the Knicks took that, I say sign the contract and run away so they can’t change their minds..
My gut feeling is no trades take place for the Pelicans. I think Dell acquired Jrue and Tyreke this off season thinking he could move Gordon. It has just back fired. No team in their right mind would take on Gordons contract especially with his attitude problems of the past.
I think this season has back fired in the worst way. So many injuries, no trades to be made, no playoffs, and no lottery pick.
I think Monty will be on the hot seat at the end of the year, but now I think Dell Demps may also feel some heat.
Great article. I want to be the first person to buy Tyson Chandler and World Peace Pelicans jerseys.
eMariii123
I am having a hard time with this trade. Maybe that means it is a good trade? My problem is losing three for one, especially Aminu and Jackson. Wilson Chandler is a nice player, but his 2013 PER is similar to Aminu’s and his 2013 3pt shooting percentage is similar to Rivers. And, at nearly 27, I see Chandler as older than our 25 and under true core while we trade away 23 year old Aminu and 22 year old Jackson.
love to see either greg monroe or tyson chandler in a pels jersey…make it happen dell
I would be really stoked about this happens. A sf that, no matter how you spin it, is a player that defenses have to account for in exchange for two “black holes” is a no brainer.
My thought process was that although we’d be losing three for one, I really don’t see us bringing back Aminu or Stiemsma after this year, so we’d be getting something of value for them instead of just shedding the $5 million or so in the offseason. I really only see Jackson as the only one of the three that is of value to The Pelicans. Stiemsma has been horrible for us, and while Aminu has been far too inconsistent game in and game out.
To your point on Chandler’s 2013 numbers, I think that those are just a factor of him being asked to do too much. He’s really Denver’s second best option offensively. I see him as an ideal glue-guy, not a second or even a third scoring option. On the Pelicans, assuming we’re healthy, he wouldn’t be asked to do much other than spot up behind the three point line on offense.
And also I must admit that I hadn’t checked Chandler’s age when I had posted that comment. I thought he was 25 but Obviously I was wrong. He’s actually 26 (turning 27 in May). Anyways, I don’t think him being a little bit older than Dell’s target age is a deal breaker.
Michael McNamara bigindian
That makes sense, thanks for the response!
Here are two I suggested in the prior post
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=l7dy7l6
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=k63rwmu
Failed to mention that Pierre’s right could be added as sweetener for Milwaukee and perhaps rivers to Houston on asik deal
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=k2jbzdp
And one for the Monroe lovers, with rationale being that Detroit doesn’t want to pay Greg but might be willing to dole out 3-4 mil less to have sanders sidekick for Drummond
Dell Demps : DO NOT TRADE PIERRE JACKSON!!
You deserve to be fired if you trade pierre jackson without atleast giving him a shot next year as a rookie! Dude can obviously play in the NBA and can fill it up as a spark plug for a cheap 3 year contract!
Not only will you get production but someone making peanuts compared to our big name guys. Give him a shot. Could be a difference maker but we’ll never know if we trade him!
Kevin Love, Budinger, and Datome to the Pellies.
Villanueva, D. Cunningham, Morrow, and a 2014 second round pick from the T-Wolves and Pistons to the Bucks.
Gordon, Aminu, the rights to P. Jackson, and the Pel’s 2016 first rounder (top 20 protected) to the Pistons.
Ryan Anderson, Greg Monroe, O.J. Mayo, and Brian Roberts to the T-Wolves.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ls3wudd
eMariii123 I like what you wrote. My only rejoinder is this.
I think you have to look at Aminu as charitably as you look at Chandler. If Anderson and Holiday are healthy, Aminu is asked to do less and is much more effective.
I continue to believe there is a role for Aminu here in the future at a salary similar to his current salary. Why? Aminu is durable, and the perfect compliment to Anderson. Aminu is a defensive SF and an offensive PF, and Anderson is a defensive PF and an offensive SF. Aminu is crazy good rebounder and Anderson is a crazy good 3 pt shooter. In my opinion, both are great to have.
PYREXVISION_ please explain how Jackson can “obviously” play in the NBA.
this Pierre Jackson thing is funny to me…
PYREXVISION_
Jackson’s stock will never be higher than it is now. The only way it could rise is if he came to the NBA and started dropping double-digit scoring games every day, and let’s be honest that isn’t likely to happen. By the time he’s eligible to be traded again, he will have struggled some in the NBA due to his lack of size and experience, and his value won’t be as high. If he gets traded now while everyone thinks he can be the next Nate Robinson or (I think I saw this somewhere) Tony Parker, then do it.
As interesting it would be to get Tyson for Gordon, It still wouldn’t calm my injury worries.
Would be interesting to see a former defensive POY/NOLA favorite paired with future defensive POY/NOLA favorite.
Pels232323
This looks like some enormous off-season move. Luckily for team chemistry sake, none of these teams look playoff bound.
xman20002000 This is why I wouldn’t be upset to not see any moves (aside from dumping Gordon/expirings)
What we NEED is TYLENOL! LOTS OF IT!
4 Way Trade…
Pelicans Get:
B.Gordon (SG), O.Asik (C), A.Randolf (SF)
Rockets Get:
2016 2nd Round pick, A.Aminu, G.Stestima
Denver Get:
A.Morrow, A.Rivers
Charlotte Get:
E.Gordon
Pelicans then bring up P.Jackson unto the lineup.
Trade Sucessful.
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lyfmkn6
Anyway thats a good 30mins of fun procrastination right there.
Or we can trade him away and he can become just another one of the really good PGs that New Orleans let get away. “Not talking about CP3”
Watching Bobcats beat up on the Pistons…at the Palace …Can Dumars please send Greg Monroe home to NOLA….
Australian_Pelican Rockets would never accept that for Asik.
Dumars should make the deal to make up for drafting Drummond one spot ahead of us….can you imagine Drummond and Davis together….just saying….
The trade I would be excited to see would be Eric Gordon to Charlotte for Ben Gordon’s giant expiring and Byombo. I don’t expect anything of high value at this deadline coming back to New Orleans, So I’m just hoping by the offseason there is some flexibility to play with (aka, hoping Gordon is moved). But, I expect Morrow to move for a late pick and Jackson to move for a small piece or two.
Something I have not looked super in depth with, but am intrigued by would be a three team deal where we ship Gordon to the Cavs, Andy comes here. Then Dion goes to a third team. With various fillers to balance salary and value. I’m not sure who would become a third team but if the Dion Waiters talk is true we could send Gordon, then Anderson Varejao is on a team option if I recall correctly. I’m just really hoping there is a deal of Gordon for expiring and a potential young piece. But, I’m not expecting it.
504ever Australian_Pelican
Yeah I know… good fun with that trade generator but…. they said on the podcast to include ridiculous idea’s… would be nice to get a good SF and C to balance out the team but.
My dream scenario: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=llspehe
Detroit will get Eric Gorden and Bryan Roberts to run for No. 8 in the East.
NO will get Greg Monroe with C. Villanueva and C. Billups.
Hope this can happen.
I have a trade that may work:
New Orleans gets Luol Deng
Cleveland gets Eric Gordon.
The salaries match up and we get a solid starting 3. Hopefully in the offseason we can convince Deng to stay. It’s possible with the salary we shed from Gordon. If we have to throw in a sweetener such as Austin rivers or Aminu I’m ok with that. We will prob lose Aminu anyway the offseason. That is just more cash we have in FA this offseason.
Mkerrigan1 Reports are that the Cavs are shopping Deng… that would look pretty good for both sides, IMO. Worst case scenario: The Hornets have a ton of cap space to get another piece around the Davis/Holiday/Anderson/Evans core…
Personally, I think Dell needs to grow some more cohonas and make a big splash. As currently constructed, this roster won’t change much for the foreseeable future. Now I’ve been hearing reports that teams are interested in Rivers, Jackson, and possibly Gordon. You gotta move em now or else we risk being stuck with low impact players. If Dell plays his cards right, he could end up with a Wilson Chandler or Luol Deng. I personally believe that the Pels should be on the horn with 6 teams. The Warriors, Cavs, Wizards, Bucks, Knicks, and Nuggets. All of these teams either expressed interest in our players, have players they would like to unload, or have players that fit our dynamic. Getting Harrison Barnes from the Warriors would be optimal but I have no idea how that would work. It’s possible, logistically speaking, but I don’t believe we have any pieces that were willing to give up to acquire him. I like the idea of trading with the Cavs to acquire Deng and Varejao. Injuries worry me and the fact that a third team would have to be added to facillitate both players coming here but a deal surrounding around Jackson, Aminu, Stiesma, and Gordon would prove fruitful. The Bucks could give us Caron Butler and Larry Sanders for Gordon and Jackson. The Nuggets intrigue me the most because if we could swing a deal to get Wilson Chandler and JaVale McGee from them, we’d be in terrific shape as a team going into next season. Also, getting Trevor Ariza back to New Orleans may prove fruitful as he’s upped his play. Maybe a deal involving him and Kevin Seraphin? There’s a lot to speculate but Dell, MAKE A MOVE MAN!!!
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=l5zd8qh
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=kadthor
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lztrl8g
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ltbm4ba
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ls4xkel
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=kycnt4j
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=koxl4pe
What about Ryan Anderson for Omer Asik and Terrance Jones. We could throw in Pierre Jacksons rights as a sweetener. We get a defense/rebounding center to put next to AD and Terrance Jones to be his backup. Anthony Davis is becoming a superstar in front of our eyes and we just dont have the minutes to give Ryno 30 plus every night, especially if we get a quality center. This gives us a quality center and a starting caliber backup for AD. It would also be a very good 3 man rotation seeing how AD can play the 4 next to Asik and the 5 next to Jones
I saw that the Rockets are interested in Rondo and had an idea. Jrue holliday for Omer Asik Patrick Beverly and Chandler Parsons. And with the disabled player exception we could add AFA and take back Jeremy lins contract. Next year Lins contract could be very valueable at the dead line. I know these are kind of “out there” but anything is posible
Reality? Nothing happened for the Pelicans and very little happened league-wide. The question is why?
Most teams are hesitant, simply because of chemistry issues. ..on and off the court and also long and short term money…..hopefully they can at the least get a second round pick some how…
Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better.
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