![]() ![]() He is the type of anchor that Davis needs alongside him, someone who can block shots and corral big, aggressive post scorers like David West and Zach Randolph, who Davis struggled against last year.Īsik allowed 47.7 percent at the rim when he was in the area last season, per SportVU. Davis and Asik is a solid pairing in theory, and was actually discussed last summer.Īsik has long been praised for his efforts on the defensive end, particularly as a rim protector. Now, with Asik, the Pelicans have their rim protector to pair with Anthony Davis. Instead of attempting to fill the gap with a solid veteran like Marcin Gortat or a young free agent with some promise left like Kevin Seraphin, the Pelicans would have had to turn to the likes of Ryan Hollins and Cole Aldrich to attempt to plug the hole. If they decided to fill that need with the MLE, a bit player for about $1 million-$2 million per year was likely the only solution. ![]() If the Pelicans wanted to grab a center, they would likely have had to use their mid-level exception to do so, but also have a gaping hole at small forward. However, they didn’t have the cap space to be able to make a big free agent acquisition in order to solve this issue. The Pelicans needed to address this issue this offseason, especially as the team’s two closest things to centers, Stiemsma and Jason Smith, are free agents. This wild Mavericks and Pelicans off-season trade is crazy enough to work.NBA Rumors: Zion Williamson’s days with the Pelicans may be numbered.Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title.NBA Rumors: Zion’s work ethic casts doubt on his future in New Orleans.NBA Trades: This Pelicans-Raptors deal would send a star to the Big Easy.Young Anthony Davis did what he could, finishing third in the league in blocks, but his technique is still not refined enough for him to be a difference maker at the rim by himself. The Pelicans were terrible at protecting the rim last season, with Greg Stiemsma and Alexis Ajinca combining to form a duo inside that not only let opponents score often, but fouled so much that the Pelicans led the league in free throw attempts allowed. The Pelicans traded a reportedly top-three and 20-30 protected first-round pick in the 2015 draft to the Houston Rockets for center Omer Asik and $1.5 million in cash. One the night before the 2014 NBA Draft, a draft in which the New Orleans Pelicans have zero picks, the team still found a way to make a splash that could have more impact on the 2014-15 season than a majority of the draft picks tonight will make. Houston is finalizing a deal to send Omer Asik to New Orleans, league source tells Yahoo Sports. ![]()
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