New Orleans Pelicans Were Wise In Deciding To Keep Ryan Anderson Past Deadline

The New Orleans Pelicans have a dismal record and they need to make changes. The team is too susceptible to injuries and teams have to be built to withstand injuries. In an 82-game regular season, injuries are bound to happen, and the teams that aren’t prepared end up suffering for it.

The Pelicans organization decided that no big changes should take place at the trade deadline. However, the team did trade a second-round pick for cash and NBA sophomore Jarnell Stokes. Stokes was the 35th overall pick in 2014 and he is currently one of the D-League leaders in player efficiency rating (PER). But perhaps even more important to fans is that the Pelicans kept Ryan Anderson.

Anderson has played well for his team this season. He is averaging 16.7 points per game while shooting 38.1 percent from the 3-point line. Anderson’s ability to stretch the floor intrigued a lot of teams before the trade deadline. Fortunately for the Pelicans, no team was willing to take a chance on a player who might not be there next season. Anderson’s impending free agency will certainly make his team’s offseason more interesting.

With more money available during this upcoming free agency, players are going to be asking for more money than ever before. Although Anderson will be asking for a lot, the Pelicans should pay him unless he asks for a star-like contract. Anderson is one of the best bench players in the league and one of the best stretch power forwards.

Anderson may very well leave the Pelicans this offseason and they might end up regretting not getting something for him. But Anderson plays well with Anthony Davis and the Pelicans have the most money to offer him. If the Pelicans can show a commitment to winning long-term, Anderson will surely reward them by re-signing with the team.