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Tim BontempsESPN
CHICAGO – For months, the pelicans of New Orleans have only one way to go: the superstar of the trade Anthony Davis and hope that the return will be enough for a successful reconstruction. After winning the first choice and the right to choose Zion Williamson, the main hope of the consensus, the Pelicans now have a valuable asset in the NBA: the options.
The new president of basketball operations, David Griffin, has already rebuffed the idea that an exchange with Davis would be acquired in advance.
"We have a long and successful history with Klutch Sports," Griffin said last month. "Rich Paul and I talked about Anthony, and we are both excited about what we could potentially build here."
This comment was largely accompanied by shrugs of shoulders. What was Griffin supposed to say again?
Get ready for Zion, Morant and more. 
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But then, the Pelicans jumped from seventh place to the top of the lottery Tuesday night. Suddenly, Griffin's comment is much more interesting. Teams around the NBA hoping to conquer Davis via trade suddenly have a reason to complain about 6-foot-7 and 280-pound wondering how Davis could be available when entering the final season of his contract.
After the Pelicans withdrew from the playoff race and sold key players on the trade deadline, it was hard to see how Davis could stay. But the arrival of Williamson should at least give Griffin a plausible argument to make him believe that there is something worthwhile to build in New Orleans.
Williamson and Davis complement each other perfectly. Davis being able to get away from the basket would give Williamson the opportunity to dive as a wheeler. It also opens up devastating opportunities for pick-and-roll situations with Zion and AD (good luck stopping it). Defensively, Davis' combination of size and length and Williamson's ridiculous athleticism would allow New Orleans to successfully protect nearly every team she meets.
Meanwhile, a triumvirate composed of Davis, Williamson and Jrue Holiday would form the foundation of a team that could once again participate in the Western Conference. One of the most underrated players in the league, Holiday is an all-NBA border guard and a senior perimeter defender.
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If the tough campaign works for Davis, not only would New Orleans celebrate by giving a supermax deal to AD on July 1, but it would also impact the rest of the league. Teams such as The Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, the LA Lakers and LA Clippers, all of whom have been tied to Davis, would be forced to continue their quest for a revolutionary superstar. And this the development could change the place where the many free agents of the NBA find themselves this summer.
But if Davis is not interested in staying, this is not bad news for pelicans. Griffin could turn around and exchange both AD and Holiday against a trove of young players and choices to pivot towards a reconstruction around Williamson and his rare gifts.
A pure assumption: Davis is traded to the Celtics for a package built around Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart, while Holiday is reversed in the Pacers for Myles Turner and more coins. The pelicans would then be stacked with young talents, all in the Williamson age bracket.
Over the next few weeks, we will have the opportunity to see how the future of Pelicans is played out. But for a franchise that seems to have a dark future since January, a few ping pong balls have changed everything – no matter what decides Anthony Davis.
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