PELS WIN LOTTERY! Does AD stay?

[Pelicanidae]

This was the best possible outcome for us. We now hold ALL leverage in trades. NY can no longer low ball us or try and hold Zion ransom, if they want AD they will have to give everything. This forces Boston to have to come off their chest of goods. Then as stupid as it was, the Lakers having a top 4 pick means no one can try and low ball us because the Lakers can come back into the bidding.

This night might be even better for us than the night we won the lottery for AD. Actually, it 100% is. We are going to be in a WAY better position going forward.

I'm so unbelievably hype.

We have Zion. We have all the leverage in any AD trade. We still have Jrue.

Let's DO this!

[RobertM320]

One problem with AD staying is that he and Zion are both PFs and AD doesn't want to play center. Unless you want to move AD out to SF like Durant. Don't think that works.

[Pelicanidae]

One problem with AD staying is that he and Zion are both PFs and AD doesn't want to play center. Unless you want to move AD out to SF like Durant. Don't think that works.

If AD stays, he's playing center. If he says ''I'll stay, but only if I can keep playing PF, and also cause of that you'll have to hamper Zion's development'' then we say, cool, have fun in New York.

Like Griffin said, you're either all in, or you're all out. And if you're all in, you'll play center.

[Mythrol]

I'm so unbelievably hype.

We have Zion. We have all the leverage in any AD trade. We still have Jrue.

Let's DO this!

Yes. Tonight was amazing. This played out absolutely perfectly for us.

One problem with AD staying is that he and Zion are both PFs and AD doesn't want to play center. Unless you want to move AD out to SF like Durant. Don't think that works.

You are who you guard. 8 have no issues with Zion guarding SFs.

[DaPelFromHell]

I would love to keep him, but the bridge may be too burnt to reconstruct.

Now that the Lakers got the 4th pick I much rather deal with them over the Knicks.

Ingram, Kuzma, Ball, & DeAndre Hunter(the next Kawhi hopefully lol) is a way better haul than what the Knicks have to offer IMO.

C: Okafor
PF: Zion
SF: Ingram
SG: Jrue
PG: Ball
F: Kuzma
F: Hunter

Then turnaround and possibly trade Ingram or Ball or both. It just gives us some serious flexibility

[RobertM320]

I really don't want Ball here longterm. I'd just as soon keep Payton for now until we get something better.

[Pelicanidae]

I would love to keep him, but the bridge may be too burnt to reconstruct.

Now that the Lakers got the 4th pick I much rather deal with them over the Knicks.

Ingram, Kuzma, Ball, & DeAndre Hunter(the next Kawhi hopefully lol) is a way better haul than what the Knicks have to offer IMO.

C: Okafor
PF: Zion
SF: Ingram
SG: Jrue
PG: Ball
F: Kuzma
F: Hunter

Then turnaround and possibly trade Ingram or Ball or both. It just gives us some serious flexibility

Ingram is a serious health risk. Ball brings with him his awful father, and is a liability on offense. They can keep Ball and Ingram, and throw in their next two available firsts.

[tdcreator]

This was the best possible outcome for us. We now hold ALL leverage in trades. NY can no longer low ball us or try and hold Zion ransom, if they want AD they will have to give everything. This forces Boston to have to come off their chest of goods. Then as stupid as it was, the Lakers having a top 4 pick means no one can try and low ball us because the Lakers can come back into the bidding.

This night might be even better for us than the night we won the lottery for AD. Actually, it 100% is. We are going to be in a WAY better position going forward.

I never even considered lakers moving into the top 4 but man it does make for some interesting trade propositions. Knicks, Celtic, and Lakers are going to have to bid against each other so I couldn’t be happier.

[Pelicanidae]

@AntDavis23 u mentoring the no. 1 pick or yah? #reconciliation

— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) May 15, 2019

Cam Jordan laying down the gauntlet.

[P_B_&_G]

@AntDavis23 u mentoring the no. 1 pick or yah? #reconciliation

— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) May 15, 2019

Cam Jordan laying down the gauntlet.

NICE!

[Tinman]

@AntDavis23 u mentoring the no. 1 pick or yah? #reconciliation

— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) May 15, 2019

Cam Jordan laying down the gauntlet.

Knowing Cam-- > he just Backslapped AD across the head!

[PelicanNation]

This is surreal.

[Taker597]

I would love to keep him, but the bridge may be too burnt to reconstruct.

Now that the Lakers got the 4th pick I much rather deal with them over the Knicks.

Ingram, Kuzma, Ball, & DeAndre Hunter(the next Kawhi hopefully lol) is a way better haul than what the Knicks have to offer IMO.

C: Okafor
PF: Zion
SF: Ingram
SG: Jrue
PG: Ball
F: Kuzma
F: Hunter

Then turnaround and possibly trade Ingram or Ball or both. It just gives us some serious flexibility

I don't think Ingram can be traded with that Blood clot.

I'll take Kuzma, Ball, and 3 1st picks.

[HornetGuru]

Yes. Tonight was amazing. This played out absolutely perfectly for us. You are who you guard. 8 have no issues with Zion guarding SFs.

True, but you also still want a third player who can create their own shot, drive, and stretch the defense, so if Zion is guarding the SF, you have to find a player who can do all that and defend power forwards

[Nola3]

We're lucky in that Zion, as unique as he is as a player, has a lot of skills that make him fairly comparable to some other stars in the league. He's a fast-break machine, an insane dunker, who can shoot a little bit but is not a sniper, with elite vision and strong passing abilities, rebounding skills and high level defense.

Who does that remind you of? And how did they build around him?

Honestly, I don't think he's really comparable to anyone. He's such an insanely unique prospect who is a complete joy to watch. But, and this might be an unpopular opinion, but I think the closest thing would be Blake Griffin right when he was hitting his perfect medium of unheard of athleticism and sublime passing ability. I think people forget how good Blake is at passing and how great his feel for the game is. And I think Zion is like that as a 19 YEAR OLD. I'm so excited.

But he does come with the same issues as Blake had when he was 25. He really can't shoot, and his release is awful. That's absolutely something he needs to work on, but I honestly think Zion's absolute ceiling is maybe a 36% 3pt shooter. And I don't think that's likely. He also has really short arms and he's only 6'7" ish, so despite his leaping ability (which I'm still not sure is real), he'll have pretty serious limitations as a rim protector. He also gets lost off ball too much on D and stands around on offense sometimes, but that's literally every 19 year old to ever come out, so that doesn't worry me especially because he usually does hustle so much.

My ideal team around him starts with another big who can do the 2 things he can't: shoot and alter shots close to the basket. Now, obviously those kind of bigs don't grow on trees, but we have a few options. First, and most obviously, we can keep AD who at least has a semblance of a shot and is incredible on D. But I really don't want him in that locker room because of all the **** that went down, and the most important thing is making sure Zion is comfortable and respected. So next would be making a deal to take a (semi) risk on a young big with the potential to do both. The two that immediately come to mind would be Bol Bol and Mohammad Bomba, both of which I would assume would cost about the same price, neither of whom would come in the actual AD trade. Finally, would be going after Brooke Lopez in free agency as he does both, but I don't think Milwaukee lets him go even if we could afford him.

Next, I'd put someone who can guard the point of attack, be a secondary scorer, shoot decently, and provide a steady presence on the court. We have the best version of that player in Jrue.

After that, I'd want a point guard who can shoot and run with Zion on the break while not being trash on D. The first person to come to mind is SGA from the Clips, who can put together a solid package (Shamet would be a perfect 3rd guard off the bench) but one that can be topped by a few others. If Lonzo's jumpshot didn't look like a whale trying to **** a doorknob, he would fit like a glove. I'm blanking on other options, but you get the general outline I'm going for hopefully.

And finally, the Pelican's perpetual white whale, a legitimate 3&D wing. Here is where I would splurge with the AD trade. See if the Thunder have any interest at all in something built around AD for PG. Boston's duo of Tatum and Brown would be two great lottery tickets if they still want AD. Get a top 5 pick and grab RJ Hunter (who I absolutely love). We have ammo, keep shooting until we finally hit the target.

That's a really general outline, but that would be something like my perfect team around Zion. Youth, shooting, transition, a rim protector, and high character. Zion takes care of everything else. What a night.

[Eman5805]

The real best thing about Zion is I've seen him switch onto point guards and not look lost and helpless. This gives our defense so much versatility...

[Eman5805]

Zion doesn't have short arms. He's got at least a 6'10" wingspan. I mean, he's no Draymond Green, but he's hardly a T-Rex either.

[13 - 3]

Knicks: We'll give you the No. 1 pick for Anthony Davis

Pelicans: pic.twitter.com/RSKrrdgOZd

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) May 15, 2019

[Nola3]

Zion doesn't have short arms. He's got at least a 6'10" wingspan. I mean, he's no Draymond Green, but he's hardly a T-Rex either.

Not to get too sidetracked about wingspan, but for a center (which would be Zion's ideal position in a perfect world) 6'10" arms are tiny.

[Mythrol]

True, but you also still want a third player who can create their own shot, drive, and stretch the defense, so if Zion is guarding the SF, you have to find a player who can do all that and defend power forwards

In this scenario we are playing AD at the 4.

[Gant-]

The early word is AD still wants a trade.

Our #NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports that, despite the Pelicans winning the No. 1 pick in the Draft Lottery, Anthony Davis' stance on a trade hasn't changed.

So what should the Pels do? What should other teams offer? Join our subscriber discussion.https://t.co/mTTabaoYJS

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) May 15, 2019

[Mythrol]

Not to get too sidetracked about wingspan, but for a center (which would be Zion's ideal position in a perfect world) 6'10" arms are tiny.

Um.... In no world is Zion a Center.

[Pelicanidae]

Honestly, I don't think he's really comparable to anyone.

But he does come with the same issues as Blake had when he was 25. He really can't shoot, and his release is awful. That's absolutely something he needs to work on, but I honestly think Zion's absolute ceiling is maybe a 36% 3pt shooter. And I don't think that's likely. He also has really short arms and he's only 6'7" ish, so despite his leaping ability (which I'm still not sure is real), he'll have pretty serious limitations as a rim protector.

My ideal team around him starts with another big who can do the 2 things he can't: shoot and alter shots close to the basket.So next would be making a deal to take a (semi) risk on a young big with the potential to do both. The two that immediately come to mind would be Bol Bol and Mohammad Bamba.

After that, I'd want a point guard who can shoot and run with Zion on the break while not being trash on D. The first person to come to mind is SGA from the Clips, who can put together a solid package (Shamet would be a perfect 3rd guard off the bench) but one that can be topped by a few others.

See if the Thunder have any interest at all in something built around AD for PG. Boston's duo of Tatum and Brown would be two great lottery tickets if they still want AD. Get a top 5 pick and grab RJ Hunter (who I absolutely love).

Just cut your response down a bit so that it doesn't take up as much room in my quote. Got a few things to say about this.

I think there have been a lot of good comparisons. Honestly, Zion is fairly comparable to Lebron James. Not identical, no, but there are similarities. In terms of skill set, Zion also has some resemblance with Giannis.

It's true that Zion isn't sniper, but he isn't a complete non-shooter, and I don't think his release is awful. His shot isn't great, but it doesn't look completely broken and is the sort of thing that I think can be worked on. It even improved over the course of his one year at Duke: he was shooting 29.4% from three in December, and finished the season shooting basically 34%. Obviously that's not incredible still, but I think he has the potential to get up to being a 35-37% shooter in time.

He doesn't have really short arms at all. His length looks fine. Like Eman said, he's not Draymond Green, but his wingspan looks to be 6'10 or so, which is totally fine. This is just me, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a little taller than he's listed: RJ Barrett is also listed at 6'7, but Zion looked clearly taller tonight when they were both stood next to each other at the lottery. I wouldn't be surprised if Zion was 6'9.

Zion is a rim protector. You don't have to be a shot blocker to protect the rim: just look at how Draymond Green is a very good paint defender despite being a very poor shot blocker. Zion has that IQ, that hustle, and actually is a decent shot blocker anyway.

I agree that a shooting big would be very helpful: Bol Bol was a name I've been promoting for months and I could see him coming to us via the Boston pick if we end up taking that deal. I'm not nearly as hot on SGA as some other,s but I can see some benefit there as well.

[Nola3]

Um.... In no world is Zion a Center.

Fine, the only big man on the floor. Whatever. But yes, that is what he should play if he could protect the rim because he can't shoot and surrounding him with 4 shooters would make him basically unstoppable on offense. Also, just thought of Jaren Jackson and now I think that the Grizzlies might be a perfect trade destination if they are willing to give up JJJ and the number 2 pick, although I don't think that's likely since I doubt AD re-signs there.

[Pelicanidae]

Um.... In no world is Zion a Center.

Yeah, he's a PF, and frankly even then that's shakey. He's positionless, in the real sense of the word. He can guard 1-5, and play SF or PF on offense.