On June 15, the Pelicans agreed to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
In return, New Orleans received guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, forward Brandon Ingram, three first-round picks and the right to swap selections with Los Angeles in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Less than a week later, the Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson, Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the first round.
They added JJ Redick and Derrick Favors in free agency, and the franchise legitimately believes it can make the playoffs next season.
So despite losing The Brow, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin is maintaining a "win now" approach.
What does this have to do with the Warriors? Well, Griffin provided the following explanation on "The Full 48" podcast with Howard Beck:
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"Everybody gets so fixated on this in a binary way -- you're either trying to win a championship or you're supposed to tank and play for the lottery. Well, the value of growing together and learning how to win together is what really made the Golden State Warriors the animal and the flamethrower that they were.
"That nucleus of Steph [Curry], Klay [Thompson] and Draymond [Green] took their lumps together -- they learned how to win together -- in meaningful basketball games. They were a playoff team when Mark Jackson was let go. And Steve [Kerr] came in and sort of took them to an all together different level.
"But those playoff losses early on is what made it possible for them to embrace what Steve was doing and the value of what Steve was doing. Learning how to win together is a really big deal.
"And so everybody says they want to be the Warriors. They want to do this or do that. Well then do what they did. Keep a nucleus together and try to win basketball games ... raise kids in an environment in which winning matters.
"If we end up drafting 16 or 17 because we 'got in our own way,' well then the upside benefitted those kids playing meaningful basketball."
This is some awesome perspective.
Curry was the No. 7 pick in 2009, Klay was taken at No. 11 in 2011, and Draymond went No. 35 in 2012.
The No. 6 seed Warriors upset the No. 3 seed Nuggets in the first round of the 2013 playoffs before falling in six games to the Spurs in the second round.
[RELATED: Why Gottlieb is very wrong about Draymond's place in NBA]
In 2014, the Dubs dropped Game 7 on the road to the Clippers in the opening round.
In 2015, they won the franchise's first championship since 1975.
As Griffin said, they learned how to win together and they continued to win even more.
But will the trio capture another championship? If they do, it just might be the most meaningful of all.
