The New Orleans Pelicans have eight players under contract for 2016-17 totaling about $74 million, which won't give them enough room to sign a max player in 2016.

But the Pelicans could have ample cap space in 2017 when the cap goes to $108 million.

The Pelicans are in the first season under Alvin Gentry following their first playoff appearance built around Anthony Davis.

"I feel great," Davis said. "Great coach coming in with new schemes. Everybody's coming back healthy. I think we can definitely be a great team in this league. It's all about what we do out there on the floor."

"They're in a pickle," one rival executive said. "They're an in-between team, kind of in that 40-50 [win] range and could go either way. They've got to get another player, and they've got to stay healthy. They've had a lot of health issues."