This is not the New Orleans Pelicans’ year.
Anthony Davis has been banged up, Eric Gordon is injured, Omer Asik is useless, the supporting cast is underwhelming and the playoffs are officially a pipe dream. Things just can’t get any worse.
Except they just did.
Tyreke Evans will most likely miss the rest of the season as he prepares to undergo surgery on his right knee, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical:
Pelicans' Tyreke Evans plans to undergo surgery on his right knee and likely out for rest of the season, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 10, 2016
So much for this not being a serious injury.
Losing Tyreke Evans hurts the Pelicans from all ends. It will be even more difficult for them to snag one of the West’s final playoff spots, and an impromptu teardown that opens up max cap space this summer may now be impossible.
Evans is one of the many Pelicans who is available for trade, per CBS Sports Ken Berger. Some team might still be willing to roll the dice on him, as he can play three different positions and is owed barely $10 million next season, but the Pelicans most definitely won’t get anything or anyone of value in return—nor will they be able to use Evans’ reasonably priced pact as a pot-sweetener that helps them shed Asik’s unwanted salary.
What a (bad) time to be a Pelicans fans.
For that matter, what a bad time to be a member of the Pelicans.
