Report: Pelicans had preferred to move Eric Gordon, not Ryan Anderson

In a trade market short on sellers, GM Dell Demps phone is ringing in New Orleans because they are looking to deal. It’s been an injury-filled, disappointing season in the Big Easy and they are thinking about potential shakeups to put a better crew around Anthony Davis.

Everyone is calling about Ryan Anderson.

But the Pelicans are more interested in moving the just injured Eric Gordon, something that will be more difficult now, reports Sam Amick of the USA Today.

“New Orleans is widely known to want to shake up their roster. And a lot of teams would love to get their hands on soon-to-be free agent forward Ryan Anderson. But I’ve been told that if New Orleans had its way they were much more willing to give up Gordon in a deal depending on what was coming back in return. Gordon, like Anderson, is going to be a free agent this summer, that means any team trading for him knows there’s a possibility he’s a rental. Which means they do not want to make a move for him and have him sit on the shelf and not know when he’s going to return.”

Gordon is probably back on the court after the trade deadline, which means moving him is unlikely at best.

Anderson may be a rental, but if a lot of teams come calling and a little bidding war starts, the offers may get too good to refuse (especially if there are some parts the Pelicans can rebuild with long term).