Back in the late 2010s, the Golden State Warriors were the NBA’s final boss. Between 2015 and 2022, they racked up four championships, dazzling fans with a mix of unselfish ball movement, elite shooting, and suffocating defense. But according to Carmelo Anthony, that dynasty might’ve faced a serious challenge-if a certain trade had gone through in New Orleans.
On a recent episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, Anthony dropped a bit of NBA alternate history that had fans doing a double take. Joined by DeMarcus Cousins, the two veterans revealed that the Pelicans once flirted with the idea of forming a Big Three consisting of Cousins, Anthony Davis, and Carmelo himself.
“New Orleans was not guaranteed option. New Orleans couldn’t pull the trigger that fast,” Anthony said. “I did have a Pelicans jersey, that was the recruiting pitch.”
Let that sink in for a second. A frontcourt trio of Boogie, AD, and Melo-three All-Stars, all in their primes or close to it.
That’s not just a fun what-if; that’s a potential power shift in the Western Conference. The Warriors might’ve still been the team to beat, but a Pelicans squad with that kind of firepower would’ve made things a lot more interesting.
Ultimately, the deal never materialized. According to Anthony, the Pelicans hesitated.
Timing was a factor, and so were contract logistics. While New Orleans considered the move, the clock was ticking-and the NBA doesn’t wait around.
Instead of heading to the Big Easy, Melo was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017 after his run with the New York Knicks came to an end.
It’s one of those sliding-door moments in league history. If the Pelicans had acted quicker or found a way to make the numbers work, they might’ve altered the balance of power in the West. Instead, the Warriors kept rolling, and New Orleans missed out on what could’ve been a franchise-defining move.
As for Carmelo, he’s transitioned smoothly into his post-playing days. These days, he’s offering sharp takes on the league, including deep dives into LeBron James and the current state of the NBA. But every now and then, he pulls back the curtain on moments like this-reminding us just how close the league came to a very different storyline.
And for Warriors fans? They might want to send a quiet thank-you to the Pelicans front office for hesitating. Because if that Big Three had come together in New Orleans, the road to those four titles might’ve looked a whole lot bumpier.