Over two months ago, I ranked Andrew Nicholson as my favorite realistic free agent addition for the New Orleans Pelicans. He's an under appreciated offensive weapon, a good performer on the defensive glass, and now more available than ever. Yesterday, the Orlando Magic decided to not offer Nicholson a qualifying offer, so he's an enviable unrestricted free agent.
Since last offseason, I've maintained Ryan Anderson was not going to receive a new contract from the Pelicans. With an expected salary in the neighborhood of $16-18 million dollars, the team has more pressing needs to fill before expending most of their available cap space to bring back a piece from a rather unsuccessful core.