How the Pelicans Could Trade Ryan Anderson

Jan 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) celebrates after making a three-point shot against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Disclaimer: First of all, I’m not trying to get Ryan Anderson traded. This article is part of a series meant to explore the Pelican’s options, not advocate for an unnecessary shake-up.

Most Pelicans fans and experts speculate that this current Pelicans roster will probably stay relatively the same through next season, but regardless, the Pelicans could get creative and have a surprising amount of flexibility should they decide to shop around a little.

If a Pelican is getting traded this summer, Ryan Anderson is the most likely candidate.

Today’s league is a pace and space pick-and-roll league where playing two traditional big men is generally less attractive than going small and spacing the floor.

The appeal of small-ball is an increase in spacing, but occasionally comes at the cost of a loss in size, and unfortunate mismatches.

Legitimate 6’10” big men who can rebound, post up, and shoot threes at an elite rate are few and far between, making Ryan Anderson a very easy player to move around.

Here’s three potential ways the Pelicans could ship him out……

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