What should New Orleans do with Davis once Williamson arrives?

May 14^th, 2019, will go down as one of the most impactful days in New Orleans Pelicans’ franchise history: the day they won the NBA Draft Lottery for the number on overall pick in the 2019 draft. This is also known as the day they won the rights to take Duke superstar Zion Williamson.

Willianson – one of the biggest names in NBA

Since dominating college basketball for the Blue Devils, Williamson has been by far the most coveted NBA prospect in the upcoming draft. He can score, pass, rebound, play defense, and everything else you want from your star player, all of which why Williamson’s expectations and potential are touted to be through the roof once being selected by New Orleans.

However, while what to do with the first overall pick is a no-brainer, winning the lottery also brought on another question: what to do with current disgruntled star Anthony Davis if Williamson does join.

Davis was New Orleans’ last first overall pick in 2012, one year before being renamed the Pelicans from their former Hornets nickname. That year, the Kentucky standout was also the obvious number one overall pick and has been one of the best players in all of basketball since. Davis, who has 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in his seven-year career, also acquired six All-Star selections and is a three-time All-NBA member.

Is it all over for Davis?

Alas, all good things must come to an end, which seems to be what Davis’ career in New Orleans is coming to. After only two playoff appearances with the Pelicans while being surrounded by lackluster talent, Davis has made it publicly known he wants traded to a contender. At first, Pelicans front office said they did not plan to move Davis, but now knowing the new face of the franchise in Williamson will be arriving shortly, officials are opening trade talks. That raises the question of who (or what) should New Orleans trade for Davis?

Williamson is a special breed of player that has basically never been seen before. A point-forward which outstanding athleticism and great court vision, it seems that pairing him with almost anyone would be mutually beneficial. One thing Williamson lacks is an excellent jump shot, so his ideal counterpart would be a sharpshooter who does not need the ball to contribute since he will be able to find him for open looks. If this “perfect partner” had some playmaking skills of their own as well, that would be great since the 18-year-old has a knack for cutting to open spots to create for himself as we.

Could the dynamic duo work?

Creating this duo is definitely easier said than done, but with the player Davis is, they can definitely find a solid fit. A similar player is that of Klay Thompson, whose ability to space the floor and be great without the ball would open the court for Wiilliamson to make plays for each of them.

Other wings who can shoot and create are Khris Middleton and Jimmy Butler, both of whom would draw enough attention to have the openness. These three are all free agents they could go after but also could still work with in a sign-and-trade situation. In purely trade scenarios though, another wing who is unlikely to get traded but would be a win-win situation is that of CJ McCollum.

An incredible shooter off the catch and pull-up, his ability to penetrate would also allow for incredible Zion slash-and-dunks.Trading Davis for him also pairs up Blazers star Damian Lillard with a top-six player, making them bigger threats in the Western Conference.

No matter what happens, one thing is for certain: Williamson is the new face of the Pelicans, and there is probably not enough spotlight to be shared between him and Davis.

Featured Image Credit: “tipoff” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by dustinbergene