The New Orleans Pelicans have been at the center of a lot of trade talks so far this season as they have been disappointing and realize they need to enhance their roster around star forward Anthony Davis. Ryan Anderson's name has come up in trade talks a lot, and it seems like the Pelicans are willing to move him, but now it is being reported that Norris Cole or Eric Gordon could be added to a deal where Anderson is traded, according to John Reid of the Times Picayune.
At first, New Orleans didn't exactly like the idea of trading Anderson, but it seems to have had a change of heart as the team realizes he is unlikely to re-sign this offseason and he might be able to bring something of value in return. An Anderson deal is no lock to happen, but to sweeten the pot the Pelicans might be willing to add one of their guards to get something even better in return.
Cole is a similar situation to Anderson for the Pelicans, as he is unlikely to re-sign this offseason too. It took Cole a long time to accept the Pelicans' qualifying offer this summer, and it seems like he will be moving on this offseason, so like with Anderson the Pelicans could move on from Cole and get something for him now. Cole has only played in four games this season and is shooting terribly, but he will still have value as he is a solid backup point guard.
Gordon too is in the final year of his contract, as he will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and his value is fairly high right now. Gordon has appeared in every game so far this season, and although he hasn't shot it all that well he is averaging 16.1 points per game. The Pelicans might not want to re-sign him this offseason either, so a trade involving him while he is healthy makes a lot of sense.
If a trade is going to happen, the Pelicans are likely looking for an upgrade at small forward, where they have really struggled, and also a big man. Markieff Morris has been brought up, and he makes a lot of sense, but if they are going to packagae one of either Gordon or Cole with Anderson, they will likely be able to get more than just Morris. The Pelicans are in a very interesting situation with all of these players in the final years of their contracts and none of them particularly likely to re-sign, so they might be big players around the trade deadline as they look to make moves to improve for this season and the future.
