David

Griffin

New Orleans currently has a strong core including Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, and they may be able to trade its lottery pick for yet another guy that can contribute right off the bat. That one extra piece likely doesn’t have to be a superstar as the aforementioned trio looks strong on paper, but keep in mind that Zion’s lost season made it so that they have little to no chemistry at the moment. If the Pels do keep the pick, someone they could consider is Duke wing AJ Griffin, who turns 19 in August and will almost surely be a lottery pick based on his shooting ability and length, per the majority of scouts. Even if the Pels don’t go through with a trade, if Zion can get to a full allotment of minutes sooner rather than later, they could be a lot of fun to watch and could make a postseason run as soon as this coming season.

The trade that was reported on Monday, which includes New Orleans receiving the 17th overall pick from Memphis in exchange for the 10th overall pick, will not be made official until August 6. So with that being the case, Memphis would be picking either for the Pelicans or another trade partner if Lopez’s report comes to fruition. New Orleans being the market for a veteran makes sense, as the team may feel that it’s “on the clock” given the reported dissatisfaction of some family members close to franchise player Zion Williamson.

Griffin added that those three players are in self isolation and are being tested daily, and that they can return to the team after two days of negative tests. Griffin said that he expects all of his players to opt into the Orlando restart but the only question mark right now is whether or not coach Alvin Gentry goes as well.

The NBA has been consistent in its message that play won’t resume until it’s safe to play, as the league and the nation deals with the novel coronavirus (which causes COVID-19). When that time will be is unknown, but it is quite clear that commissioner Adam Silver and all involved will look to evaluate all options before deciding to pull the plug on the 2019-20 campaign. Earlier this week the league banned players from working out at team facilities in an attempt to avoid running into any health issues with regard to the coronavirus.

The trade between the Pelicans and Lakers won’t become official until July 6, but the Lakers can use the fourth overall pick in this month’s draft on New Orleans’ behalf. But will that pick be made for another team? That’s certainly a possibility, as with the Pelicans getting a total of three first-round picks in the deal they could make another move in order to add another established player to the roster. The feeling of many is that this year’s draft has three top-end talents (Zion Williamson, Ja Morant ant RJ Barrett), but that reportedly has not stopped other teams from calling up Pelicans team president David Griffin about the fourth pick.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Griffin downplayed the idea that the Pels are in a rush to move on from Davis before next week’s draft. “We’re not in a hurry to do anything,” said Griffin. “That includes AD’s desire to stay or not stay. It’s not something there’s a shot clock on.”

This is big news for the Pelicans to arguably get the top candidate available in what will be a huge transition period for their franchise. Griffin has been an excellent analyst on NBATV following his time with the Cavs. His top priority will be finding Anthony Davis a new home, and look to rebuild through free agency and the draft.

Griffin was initially linked to the Pelicans back in February, and he’s the first major name to interview for their open GM position. Golden State’s Larry Harris, Brooklyn’s Trajan Langdon, Houston’s Gersson Rosas and Washington’s Tommy Sheppard are also expected to secure interviews with New Orleans, and they’ll make an official decision on the hiring this summer.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Pels owner Gayle Benson is “is promising to pursue a top-level GM to revitalize a franchise that’s coming to a crossroads with the Davis trade.” Griffin had great success with LeBron James in Cleveland, and drew interest from the Knicks, among other teams, last year.

Orlando fired general manager Rob Hennigan earlier this month and Griffin has been rumored as a lead candidate ever since. However, the Magic have to wait until the Cavs season ends before they can offer him the gig. Griffin’s contract with Cleveland expires at the end of this season.