Two days have passed since the 2013 NBA Draft, and with each passing moment I get more of a sinking feeling about the move my New Orleans Pelicans made Thursday night. Just to sum it up: the Pelicans traded the No. 6 pick and their first-rounder next year (as long as it's not in the top 5) to the 76ers for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday and a second-rounder that turned into Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson.
Let's forget for a second that the pick turned into Nerlens Noel. I don't think Noel and Anthony Davis can play with one another. First of all, they're both skinny power forwards who are offensively limited. If you put them together on a front line, I think you're eventually asking for trouble on both ends of the floor. If the Pelicans kept the pick, I don't think they go with Noel. But I don't understand why they didn't decide to take Kansas guard Ben McLemore, who is most likely to be an All-Star out of this class and went seventh to Sacramento, and then keep next year's likely lottery selection in a loaded draft.
So, while I stew on that decision (Aside: Don't get me wrong; I like Holiday. Not only does he have ties to my hometown [Ruston, La., in the house!], but he's a 23-year-old guard whose best basketball is ahead of him. I like the idea of pairing him with this year's starting point guard, Greivis Vasquez, and have two taller ball handlers on the floor at the same time), I decided to come up with another trade scenario that would go a long way to making the Pelicans playoff contenders (rather than contenders to keep their top-5 pick next summer).
The trade makes so much sense and is so simple that you can just swap one player on each team. The Pelicans should ship shooting guard Eric Gordon to Indiana in return for small forward Danny Granger. Seriously, I can't be the only person who has thought of this. It makes too much sense!
First, let's look at Gordon, who was the centerpiece of the trade the sent CP3 out of the Big Easy. But it's been a disastrous experiment so far. Gordon struggled with a knee injury during his first season in New Orleans, playing only nine games. Then he signed a max contract with the Phoenix Suns as a restricted free agent, telling the New Orleans front office that he didn't want the team to match the contract. Of course, the team couldn't let Gordon walk away because the it wouldn't have gotten anything back for CP3. Gordon again struggled with knee problems this past year, but he was able to play 42 games and average 17 points per game. Still, most Pelican fans don't feel that Gordon is committed to the team, and they were disappointed with his season this past year.
Granger, meanwhile, suddenly finds himself expendable in Indiana, which took the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals while Granger was on the bench. Granger battled a left knee injury and had two surgeries while playing only five games in 2012-13. While he was out, Paul George emerged as the Pacers' new star. The problem? Both George and Granger play the same position, and since George is seven years younger, it makes sense for the Pacers to look to move Granger.
Why does it make sense for these two teams? It's pretty simple. Gordon doesn't want to be in New Orleans, but he grew up in Indianapolis and played one season of college ball at the University of Indiana. He would certainly be motivated playing for his hometown team as it tries to prevent the Heat three-peat. Granger, meanwhile, played his high school ball in New Orleans, so his would be a homecoming as well. The salary difference is negligible (Granger's contract expires next year, while Gordon's has three years remaining), and ESPN's NBA Trade Machine says the trade would be successful.
But how successful would it really be?
I know the Heat wouldn't be fans of this trade, as it makes the Pacers even more dangerous. Adding Gordon to the roster that took Miami to seven games last year could make Indiana the favorite in the East. You could slide Gordon into the starting lineup with a backcourt of George Hill at the point and Paul George at small forward, along with David West at the 4 and Roy Hibbert at center. That allows Lance Stephenson to move back to a sixth-man role and be the primary scorer with the second unit. Stephenson can spell both Gordon and George at the 2 and the 3, and you could even play a backcourt of Gordon, Stephenson and George at times. This is definitely a move that would improve the Pacers.
As for the Pelicans, Granger would slide into the starting small forward position that is being vacated by Al-Farouq Aminu's pending free agency, and give them a primary scorer that they didn't really have (Gordon struggled to fill that role and is better as a No. 2 or No. 3 player on a contender). Holiday and Vazquez can start next to him in the backcourt with Anthony Davis at the 4 and Robin Lopez at the 5. The Pelicans have plenty of cap room to make a run at a second-tier free agent such as Paul Millsap, another Louisiana native, to add to a second unit of Ryan Anderson and a hopefully much improved Austin Rivers.
Again, it's almost as if this trade makes too much sense, so it's bound not to happen. It would reinvigorate Gordon's career while allowing the Pacers to move an expiring asset that is no longer needed because of Paul George and Lance Stephenson (and to a lesser extent, the drafting of Solomon Hill). There's no doubt it would make both teams better -- Indiana as a major title contender, and New Orleans as a possible playoff contender.
