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New Orleans Pelicans: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and guard Eric Gordon (10) during the a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Warriors 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and guard Eric Gordon (10) during the a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Warriors 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Orleans Pelicans needed to move toward putting a championship-caliber roster around Anthony Davis this summer, but how’d they do? Here are their complete 2016 offseason grades.

New Orleans Pelicans
Apr 7, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) and guard Eric Gordon (10) during the a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Warriors 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

After a four-game first round sweep at the hands of the eventual NBA champions, the New Orleans Pelicans had little to hang their heads about in 2015. Anthony Davis had put up gaudy numbers, the Pellies had snuck into the playoffs for the first time in the Brow era, and they felt like a team on the rise.

Unfortunately, due to the injury bug, a poor supporting cast and, let’s be honest, a great but not elite year from Davis, the Pelicans took a major step back in their first season under Alvin Gentry. They won 15 fewer games, wound up with the No. 6 pick in the draft and had to own up to a summer of poor spending the year prior.

Heading into the 2016 NBA offseason, the Pelicans had an oh-so-obvious checklist to take care of. They needed to find a trade partner for Tyreke Evans, they needed to let Eric Gordon walk in free agency, and they needed to work some kind of miracle to dump Omer Asik‘s contract.

Not all of those goals were realistic, but after re-signing Davis to his gaudy extension last summer, the Pelicans’ overall goal was to move toward putting a championship-caliber roster around a player who will soon dominate the league. The question is, how did they do? Here’s a look at New Orleans’ complete 2016 offseason grades.

Next: Draft Pick No. 1

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