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Could the Pelicans become the next NBA super team?

By Clevis Murray

Mar 31, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and forward DeMarcus Cousins (0) during the second quarter of a game against the Sacramento Kings at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and forward DeMarcus Cousins (0) during the second quarter of a game against the Sacramento Kings at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Could the New Orleans Pelicans transform into the NBA’s next super team?

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers can’t dominate the NBA forever. Eventually they’ll regress in skill level or disband. It’s inevitable, the only question of that is when it’ll happen.

Both teams in their respective Conferences don’t have much competition to prevent them from getting to The Finals for the foreseeable future. Well, until the new decade.

In the Eastern Conference, the picks as being the next team up have been the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams, with a trove of picks to end the 2010’s, will enter the new decade on pace to contention if things pan out.

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In the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves were supposed to be the team on the rise. They have the pieces and coach in place but couldn’t put everything together last season, however they all the time in the world to get in right. The only issue they’ll run into is when their young talent are eligible for extensions off their rookie deals.

Minnesota has the potential to end their 13-year playoff drought and be formidable, with a young team led by Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, it’s all a matter of when. With Minnesota going through growing pains for the foreseeable future, though, the New Orleans Pelicans could become a team set to contend either this upcoming season or the season after.

Plan A – Chris Paul

For the 2017-18 season, it starts on July 1st by trying to create a reunion with Chris Paul. He’s been with the LA Clippers for the past six seasons and hasn’t accomplished anything of great proportions. The All-Star selections, assist and steals titles are there, along with All-NBA selections, but in the City of Angels, with Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Doc Rivers, nothing’s been accomplished.

He’s helped create the greatest era in Clippers history with teams that have been very deep, but has failed to make it past the second-round or even the first-round on some occasions.

The writing is on the wall for a Clippers breakup. The time for Paul to leave is now. He’s already been linked to the San Antonio Spurs as both reportedly have mutual interest, but to make that happen on an aging team is very complicated.

Heading back to New Orleans and playing alongside Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, arguably the best players at their positions in the mid-20’s, seems ideal for Paul. The only snag in the reunion is the amount of money LA can offer. A five-year, $210 million deal is what the Clippers can offer, making Paul the NBA’s first $200 million employee.

It all comes down to what Paul wants – an extra $60 million and year, or a four-year deal and a possible contender?

Creating a legit contender in the Big Easy would be hard to pass on, and, who knows, maybe he brings J.J. Redick with him to add a shooting touch to the team.

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    • A starting five with Paul, Redick, Davis, Cousins and Solomon Hill on the wing would instantly become a contender on paper.

    Plan B – John Wall

    If Chris Paul, though, does re-sign with the Clippers as many expect him to, then the next possible target for the Pelicans easily becomes John Wall in 2019. A trio of Wall, Davis and Cousins is a little more intimidating than a possible addition of Paul.

    The three former Kentucky Wildcats would still be in their mid-20’s and could run the NBA come 2019-20. Only issue to pull that off would be money. Along with Wall being an impending free agent then, his former college teammate in Cousins would also be surveying the market.

    It’s already known the two stars want to play together in the NBA. Here’s what John Wall said to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated back in February after the NBA All-Star Game when Cousins was traded to New Orleans.

    "[via ESPN]I talked to him. He said he would come to D.C., but he didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know he was going to be traded like that. We thought it was going to be later on or he was just going to stay [in Sacramento]. It shocked me just like it shocked him."

    The two are a one-year difference as to when they become free agents, but a Cousins move to Washington to play with Wall is more than possible. Making a Big Three with Bradley Beal would make them a nice troika, but to put Wall in New Orleans with Cousins and Davis has the potential to be dominant.

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    For Wall, a D.C. icon, it all comes down to salary flexibility, what he wants and how Cousins is playing with Davis at that time and if they’ll be getting along by then. It’s all food for thought, but don’t be surprised if New Orleans becomes the NBA’s next super team and sooner rather than later.

    The New Orleans Pelicans have the building blocks and potential to do so. By then, the league will have changed and a new team will be running rampant. Why not New Orleans?

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