NBA Rumors: Pelicans Listen To Offers, May Build Zion Williamson Support Cast

Probably aware that efforts to keep Anthony Davis in New Orleans are as good as dead, the Pelicans have reportedly now started to listen to offers for NBA All-Star. With the team expected to select Zion Williamson as the first-overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, pundits believe that executive vice president for basketball operations David Griffin and company will be looking to get stars or reliable supporting cast to make sure that the ballclub can transition smoothly from the Anthony Davis era.

The teams expected to try and create the best package for Davis include the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, The Athletic reported. These are teams previously linked to the 26-year-old center, the most popular of which were the Lakers who dangled that multiplayer deal back in February to get Davis. As most know, that deal never went down and eventually boomeranged on the purple and gold's ambitions of making the NBA playoffs. Much of this was discussed in a previous post.

In another previous post, it was mentioned how Griffin was going to try and persuade Davis to stay on. With the coming of Williamson, the Pelicans would have one of the vaunted frontcourts in the NBA. Unfortunately, even that reportedly failed to convince Davis from changing his mind and likely the reason why the Pelicans are now entertaining offers for the top pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.

The Knicks and Lakers do own the third and fourth overall pick respectively of the upcoming NBA Draft and this could be part of the package that the Pelicans would be offered. Aside from that, both teams could package some (or probably most) of their young players for Davis. The Celtics could also come up with a lucrative package with some of their top names possibly included in the deal such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Slam Online reported.

It cannot be discounted that other teams could enter the fray. A lot may depend on who would be available in NBA Free Agency. The names of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving lead the pack of legit NBA star players available this summer. The Pelicans will dip their hands as well, same as other ballclubs who will try to lure on their end through best offers to make their teams competitive for the 2019-20 NBA wars.