What are we supposed to think of the 2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans? It’s encouraging that Zion Williamson is feeling better physically than he has since college, but he’s going to have a lot on his shoulders. Heading into opening night, two potential starters – Dejounte Murray and Kevon Looney – are on the board, as is rookie Derik Queen. If the season goes awry again, they won’t be able to chase the lottery balls this time. Their new front office, led by Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver, wanted Queen so much that they made an unwise trade on draft night, giving up their unprotected 2026 pick (and the right to trade it for the Milwaukee Bucks’ pick).
Despite all that, the Pelicans should at least be interesting. There’s no one in the league who looks like a healthy Williamson, and he’ll start much of their offense. Trey Murphy III is getting better every year, Herb Jones is a demon on defense, and Jose Alvarado plays every possession with maximum intensity. Jordan Poole, acquired from the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum, has quietly had a bounce-back season in 2024-25. Jeremiah Fears, drafted six spots ahead of Queen, is difficult to keep out of the paint. I do, however, have questions about New Orleans’ depth, spacing, rim protection and overall direction of the team. If you can figure out what the overall plan is, let me know.
The inventory
Last year: The Pelicans’ 21-61 record was the worst in franchise history. Their offense ranked 25th, their defense 29th. Only the Wizards had a worse point differential. Injuries had derailed this team before, but never like this. Rookie center Yves Missi led the team in minutes (1,956) and guard Jordan Hawkins (1,321), big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (1,239) and wing Javonte Green (1,092) ranked fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Murray, New Orleans’ big offseason acquisition, injured his hand on opening night and tore his Achilles tendon in late January, but still managed to play more games (31) than Williamson (30), Jones (20) and Brandon Ingram (18). At the trade deadline, the Pelicans sent Ingram to Toronto for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2031 second-round pick.
The offseason: New Orleans fired general manager David Griffin as soon as the season ended and replaced him with Joe Dumars about four seconds later. In the NBA Finals, the Pelicans acquired the No. 23 pick in the 2025 draft and the rights to Mojave King from Indiana in exchange for the Pacers’ 2026 pick, which had landed in New Orleans as part of the Ingram deal. In Game 7 of the Finals, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon, immediately increasing the value of the pick New Orleans sent them. On draft night, the Pelicans selected Fears with the No. 7 pick, then made the second-most-derided trade of 2025, first throwing away an extremely valuable 2026 so they could move up from No. 23 to No. 13 and select Queen. They also traded McCollum, Olynyk, the rights to King and a 2027 second-round pick to Washington for Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick, which they used to select winger Micah Peavy. In free agency, they signed Looney away from the Warriors to a two-year, $16 million contract with a team option. They also signed Jones to a three-year contract extension worth $67.6 million with a player option. Brown signed with Denver for the minimum, Green signed with Detroit for the minimum and Robinson-Earl signed a training camp deal with Dallas but did not make the final roster.
Las Vegas plus/minus: 31.5 wins, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
The conversation
Believer in pelicans: Last season was an ordeal, but the Pelicans have turned the page. I love that Zion Williamson is connected and Trey Murphy III is aiming to become an All-Star. I know the new front office took a lot of pressure this offseason, but if you can look past what they gave up to get Derik Queen, there are things to like here. Kevon Looney will help them on the boards, set strong screens and lead by example with his unselfish play. Jordan Poole is eight years younger than CJ McCollum. You may have forgotten about Saddiq Bey because he missed all of last season, but he’s a solid pickup. Queen and Jeremiah Fears are both crafty prospects with star potential. Don’t write this team off and don’t forget that Dejounte Murray has been dunking since August. I’m not sure when he will return, but I expect him to give the team a boost at some point.
The Pelicans are skeptical: I don’t even know where to start with the Pelicans. Outside of Sacramento, no team in the NBA confuses me this much. How am I supposed to look past what they did on draft night? Even if I put aside the value proposition of the Queen business, their decisions do not have internal consistency. Is this a winning team now? If so, why did he recruit a 19 year old? And a 20-year-old who has glaring deficiencies in defense? Is the new front office trying to rebuild on the fly? If that’s the case, why did he give up his first-round pick without any protection? Queen has upside at the 5 point guard, but he seems like a horrible fit with Williamson on both ends. Why did Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver decide they would rather pay Poole $31.8 million in 2026-27 than keep McCollum? Do you expect me to congratulate them for using the majority of the MLE on Looney? Do you really think Murray, coming from a torn Achilles, is going to fit in perfectly? I could go on, but I’m really curious how anyone can be optimistic about this organization right now.
Believer in pelicans: No, continue. Please. Get it out of your system.
The Pelicans are skeptical: I just don’t understand what they are doing! Big picture, move by move, any way you want to look at it, the Pelicans are mystifying. Why hasn’t the new front office hired a new coaching staff? Why didn’t they at least let James Borrego go to New York? Why doesn’t the team that employs Williamson have any big players? Why did they pick up Jordan Hawkins’ $7 million fourth-year option? Why, after effectively dumping Brandon Ingram for financial reasons, did they move so close to the luxury tax threshold for 2026-2027? You can’t make sense of it all.
Believer in pelicans: Are you finished? Do you have anything nice to say about the Pelicans?
The Pelicans are skeptical: Of course. Jose Alvarado is one of the best reserves in the NBA and I love watching him annoy everyone he plays against. Jones and Murphy should remain vital parts of this team for a long time, and they both have excellent contracts. I like how Yves Missi tries to dunk everything. I’m glad Williamson looks healthy. The Pelicans broadcast is one of the best in the business. Is this enough for you?
Believer in pelicans: It’s a start. I would add that while they are luckier in terms of injuries than recently, they have the talent to be pretty good! A lot has changed since then, but I keep thinking about how the Pelicans were playing in the second half of the 2023-24 season, before Ingram and Alvarado were injured in March and Williamson was injured late in their play-in game against the Lakers. Williamson was playing the best all-around basketball of his life, and this injury cut short one of the best performances of his career. I remember him getting more comfortable with his jump shot and showing a lot of energy on defense, even late in the game, and that’s the main reason I’m optimistic. The other reason is that Murphy, Jones and Alvarado are still in New Orleans. At least I know these guys work well together.
The Pelicans are skeptical: Do you? This will be this quartet’s “fifth” season together, but they have only shared the floor for a total of 145 minutes in 27 games, all played in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The Pelicans played well in those minutes, and I hope they all get healthy at the same time more often this year. I hope Williamson also maintains the level of play you reference. However, I advise you to expect the worst and remember how strange the rest of this list is.
