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July 9, 2013
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July 9, 2013
The New Orleans Pelicans’ roster rebuilding continued this week.
This time, a young, explosive scoring wing was added to the mix.
One week after the team traded its first round pick in the 2013 and 2014 NBA Draft to land All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans used their financial flexibility to bring former Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans into the fold via a sign and trade agreement.
Per NBA rules, the deal will not be official until later today.
But Evans already has taken to social media to confirm that he is the newest Pelican.
“Just got back to Sac. (sic). I had a great 4 years here,” Evans tweeted on Independence Day. “The Kings’ fans are amazing. I will never forget you. Alot (sic) of memories. Thank you all!”
To get Evans, the Pelicans did have to give up a few rotation pieces. New Orleans sent guard Greivis Vasquez to the Kings in the trade, while also shipping center Robin Lopez to Portland.
The Kings also will get two second-round picks in the swap and Portland will also now employ Terrel Harris.
New Orleans lands 2013 second-round pick Jeff Withey in the trade.
But the most recognizable player in the deal is Evans, who will land in New Orleans with a shiny new four-year, $44 million contract.
Evans earned his eight-figure salary by establishing himself as one of the most explosive scorers in the paint throughout his career with the Kings.
The 6-foot, 6-inch combo guard won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year honors in 2009-10 when he averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
Since that season, Evans’ points per game averages have declined each season – bottoming out at the 15.2 points per game he averaged this past year with Sacramento.
But the numbers are a bit skewed, as Evans’ minutes per game have also dropped each season, as well.
Perhaps a more telling indication of Evans’ talent going forward was the 47.8 percent shooting percentage he posted last season with Sacramento – the highest number of his career.
Durability may be the biggest concern for the Pelicans in the trade.
Evans has never played more than 72 games in a season – that feat occurred in his rookie campaign.
Since then, the guard has missed multiple games each season. This year, he played 65 of the team’s 82 games and missed 11 games in the first half of the season with a knee injury.
With Evans in the fold, the Pelicans will now have a plethora of scoring options at the guard position, including Holiday and Eric Gordon.
Multiple reports out of New Orleans claim that to balance the flow within the lineup, Pelicans coach Monty Williams will consider bringing Evans off the bench to serve as a scoring 6th man similar to San Antonio Spurs’ guard Manu Ginobili.
In addition to Evans, the Pelicans also received center Jeff Withey in the trade.
A 7-foot, 222-pound post, Withey was the 39th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft after averaging 13.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season as a senior with the Kansas Jayhawks.
Aminu will remain with Pelicans; Asik coming soon?
If the plan is for Evans to play off the bench for New Orleans, the Pelicans needed a small forward to eat up minutes in the early portions of the game.
They’ll likely turn to the man who was the team’s small forward for the bulk of last season.
The day after Evans announced he would sign the Pelicans, New Orleans announced that it had reached a one-year, $3.7 million deal with 2012-13 starter Al-Farouq Aminu.
The lanky, athletic forward from Wake Forest had an up and down season last year with the Pelicans, averaging 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 76 games.
But Aminu is still just 22, and many scouts around the league think he has potential to grow his game with experience.
Aminu was the No. 8 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
While the Pelicans bolstered their depth and length with Aminu, they may be in a position to swap some shooting for a serviceable center in the future.
With Robin Lopez gone in the Evans trade, multiple reports have listed the Pelicans as a possible trade partner with the Houston Rockets for disgruntled center Omer Asik.
Asik was one of the NBA’s best defensive big men in 2012-13, but is now expendable because of the Rockets’ acquisition of Dwight Howard through free agency.
If the Pelicans aim to land Asik, they will likely have to part ways with sharpshooting bench player Ryan Anderson.
Both the Rockets and Pelicans have denied that trade talks have taken place between the two teams.
FILE – In this Feb. 27, 2013, file photo, Sacramento Kings’ Tyreke Evans dunks on a fast break against the Orlando Magic during an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla. People familiar with the trade say Sacramento, New Orleans and Portland have agreed to a three-team deal sending guard Evans to the Pelicans, center Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers and guard Greivis Vasquez to the Kings. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
