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5 Roster Moves The New Orleans Pelicans Need To Make

By Matthew Hallett

Jan 30, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) celebrates after making a three point shot during the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) celebrates after making a three point shot during the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) shoots over the New Orleans Pelicans guard Toney Douglas (16) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Get Toney Douglas To Opt In

Toney Douglas is a low-cost insurance policy for Jrue Holiday. In Holiday’s three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, he has missed 107 of a possible 246 games. To say that he is injury prone would be an understatement.

Douglas started 18 of his 61 games last year, with numbers that were OK: 20.7 minutes, 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

However, in his last 10 games, he averaged 32.2 minutes, 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

These numbers are so good because Davis, Anderson, Holiday and Norris Cole were out for all of them (Holiday played one game in that stretch).

In a free agency class that has Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Ramon Sessions, Ty Lawson, Courtney Lee, Deron Williams and Mo Wiliams, I am pretty sure that Toney Douglas will not be able to push his contract price up too much by opting out.

New Orleans also needs too many players at too many positions to want to pay him more than the $1.3 million Douglas is signed for next season.

While I admit that Douglas is not a move which is going to move them forward, with the fragility of Holiday’s body, he will not take them back a step.

Next: Draft sensibly

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