re: Pelicans to re-sign Anthony Davis to 5-year, $145M extension

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So now he is going to have to force a trade to the Lakers in 2 years. Congrats I guess?

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Signing Davis to an extension is good for the fans of the Pelicans as they will get to watch one of the best players on the planet for the next several years. However, what are the Pelicans going to do to become championship contenders? Their current roster does not appear good enough to compete for the championship even with a change to a more up-tempo style of play. They got no help in the draft, and they claim to be not interested in the free agents available. What should the Pelicans do in addition to extending Davis' contract to try and build a championship team?

They can easily have only AD, Jrue, Reke, and QPon + tons of cap space next offseason. It's a longshot to sign a stud like Durant, but AD can definitely lure some good talent to the team that better fit what Gentry wants to do. Also, any max FA can only be given a 4 year deal by the Pels, which would guarantee that they would be playing with AD their entire contract.

Realistically the Pelicans have to extend their timeline rather than thinking they are going to be competitive overnight. I don't think there are any FA available this year that would move the forward significantly. There are some available who might lead to some immediate improvement, but not enough to do anything except make it tougher to add more pieces in the future. What sucks for the Pelicans is they didn't get any really good draft picks in the years before or after Davis. And now Davis will keep them good enough that lottery picks are unlikely.

I am afraid that the Pelicans will never be able to surround Davis with the right talent to be championship contenders due to bad timing and NBA rules that make it difficult for them to attract high profile free agents.

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Signing Davis to an extension is good for the fans of the Pelicans as they will get to watch one of the best players on the planet for the next several years. However, what are the Pelicans going to do to become championship contenders? Their current roster does not appear good enough to compete for the championship even with a change to a more up-tempo style of play. They got no help in the draft, and they claim to be not interested in the free agents available. What should the Pelicans do in addition to extending Davis' contract to try and build a championship team?

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If we resign Asik there is nothing more we can do than add depth wit the MLE exemption this offseason. However next year we have lots of salary cap space so expect the Pels to be a major player in the offseason. If AD keeps developing like he has the last 3 years and we make the playoffs (and hopefully advance) then players would love to come to NOLA and play next to AD.

However, if we can't win or compete for a title by 2020 he is gone but that is 5 years from now. So sit back, pray that Genty and Dell build and coach a team around AD and enjoy the brow.