Phoenix Suns could pull off a trade for Anthony Davis
Pelicans’ Reasons
If the Pelicans do decide they want to go into a rebuild, then this deal makes sense for the team. Pelican fans will argue that this deal is not fair or has equal value for their franchise player. To be frank it probably is not, however the market for stars has been less than stellar recently. Minus the Kyrie Irving trade, others stars like Cousins, Dwight Howard, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, and Paul George were traded for under market value. The George trade in particular was so under valued that there was not even a draft pick involved with the transaction. The Irving trade is the exception, but Pelicans should not expect quite the haul for Anthony Davis. With that being said, the proposed package is still pretty good and probably one of the better deals the Pelicans can get.
The Pelicans get a quality pick from the Suns via the Heat. No it is not a great pick, but it is still a quality selection. This pick will end up being better than most of the draft picks traded this summer for stars, except for the Brooklyn Nets pick in the Irving trade. The Pelicans should definitely be happy with this aspect of the trade.
The Pelicans also get Dragan Bender which is the real prize in the trade. The European big did not have a good rookie year, but he has the size, youth, and potential to turn into a great young player. Beyond that, his draft pedigree of being a top selection in the 2016 draft should give him high enough value to have the Pelicans intrigued. T.J. Warren is just no scrap thrown into this trade either. Warren has shown consistent improvement over his young career. If the Suns did not draft Josh Jackson, then Warren could have been primed for a break out season. Warren would help solve the problem the Pelicans have at small forward as well.
New Orleans also receives two solid veterans in Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley. Both of which can be flipped in another trade for rebuilding assets. If nothing else, trading Chandler in for Omer Asik will make any Pelicans’ fan happy. If they decide to keep Dudley, he will be a great locker room guy to help lead a young team.
This hypothetical trade will definitely help the Pelicans to have a solid foundation for a rebuild. It may not be an equal value trade, but if this offseason proved anything it is that teams have a hard time to get equal value for stars. With that in mind, this is a quality deal and a better deal most teams can offer. It will also be a better deal than most of the deals this past summer and the Pelicans should take advantage of this proposed trade. With this in mind, it is unlikely that they will find a team that can offer anything substantialy better.
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At the end of the day, this is a hypothetical trade proposal and should not be taken seriously. Still contrary to Zach Lowe’s beliefs, the Phoenix Suns are ready to make a trade like this and can be competitive afterwards.