New Orleans Pelicans work out Josh Smith, Chase Budinger and Martell Webster

Adrian Wojnarowski is best known for dropping a #Wojbomb anytime, anywhere, but even within casual conversation he is liable to mention important and previously unheard information.

Case in point, listening to he and Bobby Marks discuss the completed Kyrie Irving trade between the Celtics and Cavaliers this morning, Woj — like everyone else in the NBA world — mentioned the possibility of Boston chasing Anthony Davis if things go south for New Orleans again. The breaking news out of this tidbit, though, was that the New Orleans Pelicans have worked out Josh Smith, Martell Webster and Chase Budinger in reaction to Solomon Hill’s torn hamstring.

Starting at about the 11:10 mark, Wojnarowski says, “Listen they {Boston Celtics} have assets to go do something else big. Somebody becomes available, if a, you know Anthony Davis will continue to be talked about. There was a workout in New Orleans this week — and I was just imagining Anthony Davis walking into the gym — so they lose Solomon Hill for maybe the season, most of the season, at small forward, and they’re trying to re-sign Dante Cunningham, worried that they may lose him to Minnesota. And so they have a workout there with, I’m told: Josh Smith, Chase Budinger, Martell Webster...”

Bobby Marks interjects, “No way, I didn’t even know he’s still playing.”

Wojnarowski replies, “I didn’t know he was still playing either. {chuckles} And, I’m like, can you imagine Anthony walking into the gym and seeing that and going, ‘one of these guys might play 25 minutes a game for us this year and we’re trying to make the playoffs and I want to win championships?’ You know, so, like who knows what happens with Anthony Davis — and he’s been super loyal though to try and make it work there. So anyway, maybe he becomes available, maybe he doesn’t in a year or so.”

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but this desperate? Reading these three names shouldn’t appease any fan, and I’m 100% with Woj: Davis can’t be excited by the prospects of the Pelicans possibly going the route of some retread in the league instead of say re-signing Cunningham or making a trade for a more proven commodity.

This news only strengthens my belief that the Pelicans need to utilize the stretch provision on Omer Asik before the calendar flips to September. More legitimate help sits out in free agency than three guys who probably don’t deserve another minute in the league. The time for patchwork rosters is over — the New Orleans Pelicans need to replace Hill’s minutes with the most effective player available and I’m pretty certain it’s not Smith, Budinger and Webster.