What does the future hold for the Pelicans?

The NBA has officially reached the All-Star break, a perfect midpoint in the season for teams to evaluate the final constructions of their rosters before the last stretch of games heading into the postseason. 

The trade deadline has passed, so rosters are set in stone for the rest of the way. It’s safe to say that with their current roster, the Pelicans will have their calendar clear past Apr. 13, when the regular season ends. 

They are at the bottom of the Western conference with only 13 wins. They would have the worst record in the league but the Washington Wizards haven’t scratched double-digit wins yet. 

Pels fans are scratching their heads on why this team has not made any sense. The Pelicans have been middle-of-the-pack the last three years. In that stretch, they were in the play-in all three years and advanced to the playoffs in 2022 and 2024. 

Many people have shown a dislike for the play-in, and I’m sure the majority of them are Pels fans considering how they were the eighth seed in both seasons and had to play extra games just to prove they were worthy of battling the first seed.

Granted, that led to them getting mutilated by the first-seeded Phoenix Suns in 2022 and Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024. But, they made the playoffs which is a blessing for some teams.   

The thing that puzzles me is that each year it was always something holding them back. In 2022, they were without Zion Williamson for the entire year, but the team got better. 

In 2023, Williamson only played 29 games, not including the play-in, where they lost to the Thunder. But again the team continued to improve.  

In 2024, Williamson played 70 games meaning the Pels were destined for greatness. They made it out of the play-in but Williamson got hurt in the process and was out the rest of the postseason. The Pels proceeded to get swept in the first round by the Thunder. 

Now I don’t claim to be a genius, but I think I know what, or who, was holding the Pels back.   

Here we are in the 2024-25 season and Pelicans players have been in-and-out of the Ochsner Medical Center as if they were selling beignets in there.

As soon as one guy comes back from injury, another guy gets hurt. It seems a little too precise, as if they are coordinated attacks back at their own organization. Maybe not, but the Pelicans have been extremely unlucky with the injury bug. 

Herbert Jones (shoulder) and Dejounte Murray (achilles) are both out for the season. The dynamic duo of Brandon Ingram and Williamson have both only played 18 games, and have only shared the court in six of those.

On a larger scale, in their 441 possible games they’ve only played 154 of them together. And since the trade deadline, that would no longer continue as the Pelicans shipped Ingram to the Toronto Raptors.

I’m a big fan of this move by the Pelicans and honestly wish they shipped more people out to begin the rebuild stage. Ingram was in the last year of his contract, and his pairing with Williamson didn’t bear any fruit.

The Pels were able to bolster up more draft capital with the trade which is most important. I think it’s obvious the direction they’re attempting to move in. Let’s just say the Pels have been keeping up with Duke basketball a lot this season.

With another generational talent about to take the stage, the Pels have their eyes on the first overall pick. In doing so, they would likely move on from Williamson in the off-season while he has some trade value. 

I just don’t think he’s what a lot of people hoped for in New Orleans, and giving Williamson a change of scenery might be better for both parties. 

Along with Williamson, some changes in the backcourt have to be made too. CJ McCollum will be entering the final year of his contract next season and I truly believe the $30 million he’s worth would be better off given to charity. 

It’s not that he’s had a bad season, but factoring his age and the money he’s guaranteed, I think the Pels should move on from him as well. He’s done a phenomenal job staying healthy, but his ceiling as a player has been reached. 

He hasn’t had much help offensively outside of Murphy III so I think his numbers are pretty respectable, but trading him while he still has good value is the right thing to do.

The top priority for the Pelicans has to be keeping the young core of Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Yves Messi together. Murphy III has been a borderline all-star, having a career year all across the board.

He’s having career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He’s definitely in the running for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Heading into the offseason, the Pels have to look for youth and draft capital. They have a lot of assets that can easily be flipped for either one. Obviously they should be looking to obtain the first overall pick in the process, but rebuild is inevitable.