New Orleans Pelicans (26-33)
Let’s be honest about the New Orleans Pelicans for a minute. For the most part, this season was largely about finding a way to keep Anthony Davis satisfied with his current situation in New Orleans. After he requested a trade from the Pelicans, it was clear that he was now a lost cause, and that the Pelicans had failed in that aspect.
New Orleans elected not to trade Davis at the NBA Trade Deadline, holding out hope that they can get a better offer than what the Lakers came with (potentially from the Celtics). Short of Davis changing his mind between now and the summer, the Pelicans will be headed into a long rebuild.
It won’t be pretty, unless New Orleans can pull off a heist and steal Jayson Tatum from the Celtics. But even then, it will get worse before it even begins to improve for the Pelicans. Especially in the Western Conference.
Grade: F