NBA Rumors: New Orleans Pelicans Finding Ways To Keep Anthony Davis

The New Orleans Pelicans are fully aware that plenty of NBA teams will be trying to lure Anthony Davis away from them after the 2018-19 NBA season. In an effort to convince the all-star center to stick around, Pelicans management has been trying to come up with deals to make him stay.

For those who have kept track of the Pelicans player movement, there were notable names who came and went. Among those names include DeMarcus Cousins, whom they acquired from the Sacramento Kings. “Boogie” would eventually move out and join the Warriors.

Other names who the Pelicans tried to dangle include Jimmy Butler, who is now with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Nikola Mirotic, whom New Orleans got via trade on Feb. 1. Moving forward, more names are likely to append that list. And one can just imagine the Pelicans' chances if Davis is 100 percent healthy, according to the Birdwires.

However, the fact remains that the Pelicans need to make room for their prospect. There are players expected to move on Dec. 15. New Orleans does have players that they can deal, namely Ian Clark, Jahlil Okafor, Elfrid Payton, Julius Randle and Kenrich Williams. These are players whom the Pelicans signed over the summer and are eligible for trade.

Conversely, they can get players to fill in key positions. Among the names that come to mind include Tyreke Evans, Rajon Rondo, Mario Hezonja, Trevor Ariza and Rudy Gay. So far, Ariza has been the hot topic in the NBA, with the Lakers seemingly at the forefront.

The guard rotation of coach Alvin Gentry could use an upgrade. Rondo’s name was mentioned, but there are other guards who could possibly do better than Jrue Holiday or E’Twaun Moore. Darren Collison or Cory Joseph could be some of the guys worth looking into. Looking beyond this season, other names like Jeremy Lin, Trey Burke and Kent Bazemore may be tempting.

It will be interesting to see what the Pelicans will be up to in the coming days. There are a lot of names that could make or break New Orleans, although the most important thing is to keep Anthony Davis happy and entice him to lead the pack.

Right now, the bench is obviously not getting it done. According to the Pelican Brief, the Pelicans bench ranks 28th in the league in bench points per game, a clear sign that manpower changes will be a need. Unless something is done, Davis may decide to take his act elsewhere and join a team where he does not have to worry about playing minutes and would have better chances at an NBA title.