23. New Orleans Pelicans
Amidst all of the Anthony Davis chaos, the New Orleans Pelicans have gone off the deep end. With an already below .500 record, the Pelicans have dropped seven of their last 10 games and are quickly being removed from the playoff picture.
Unfortunately, the AD situation is going to loom over their franchise like a black cloud until he is traded or leaves in free agency. New Orleans is being forced to play Davis by the league, which is bad for two reasons. One, they don’t want to risk him getting injured and hindering their ability to negotiate in trade talks.
Most importantly, they don’t want him to be playing because they don’t want to be winning games. This team has no chance of winning a championship so losing and securing a quality draft pick is a necessity.
Luckily, they haven’t been winning many games at all. The Pelicans are one of the worst teams in the league and will continue to be until they can find a new home for Davis and build a new future.