The New Orleans Pelicans have finally done a little roster tinkering, and while none of it qualifies as a headline-grabbing swing, it does give the team a clearer picture as training camp approaches.
The latest additions came in a short burst. New Orleans signed Trendon Watford to a cheap one-year deal to help fill out the bench, then added Malik Dia on a two-way contract. That move briefly crowded the roster, especially with so many players already in camp competition, but the issue was cleaned up fast when the Pelicans waived center Hunter Dickinson to reopen that two-way slot.
A little over a month out from training camp, the roster is starting to take shape.
At guard, the Pelicans are leaning into a mix of established talent and youth. Jeremiah Fears and Dejounte Murray headline the point guard group, with Jordan Poole in the combo role and Jordan Hawkins at shooting guard.
Jaron Pierre Jr. is there on a two-way contract. It’s a group that reflects the team’s balancing act: Murray brings the experience and production, while Fears is being developed as a possible franchise centerpiece.
That makes for an unusual setup, especially for a team that has fallen short of 30 wins in each of the last two seasons. Fears may not even open the year in the starting five.
The wing group looks like the most intriguing part of the roster. Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones Jr., Saddiq Bey, Micah Peavy, and Bryce McGowens make up a five-man rotation that could end up defining the team.
Murphy is the name to watch after spending the offseason adding muscle, and there’s obvious curiosity about what the coaching staff can unlock from him. Herb Jones remains an elite defender, Bey stands out as a strong-value piece, and Peavy and McGowens offer bottom-of-the-rotation three-and-D depth with some upside attached since both are still early in their careers.
The frontcourt is where the questions really start to pile up. Zion Williamson, Yves Missi, Derik Queen, Karlo Matkovic, DeAndre Jordan, Trendon Watford, and Malik Dia give the Pelicans seven bigs on the current board, but that group still feels like the biggest offseason puzzle.
New Orleans needed major help inside, and the result so far looks more modest than transformative. The team is going to need real development from Missi and Queen to make the unit work.
There are also three players headed to camp under contract: Christian Koloko, Caleb Houstan, and Kobe Bufkin.
Bufkin looks like the early favorite for the final two-way spot. He was a first-round pick in 2023, hasn’t quite settled in yet, but has flashed enough to keep interest high. He also stood out in Summer League this past season, which has helped build some support from the fan base.
Houstan is another name to watch. He would bring one of the better shooting strokes on the roster, pound for pound, and he already has a connection with this coaching staff, which could matter when the final decision is made.
In Other News...
Pelicans Just Sent Another Clear Message About Their Frontcourt Priorities
The Pelicans kept trimming and reshaping the back end of their roster this week, waiving second-year center Hunter Dickinson to clear a two-way spot after adding Malik Dia on a two-way contract. Dickinsons time in New Orleans was brief after he went undrafted in 2025 and appeared in five games last season, but the move fits the teams continued search for the right mix of size and developmental depth around the frontcourt.
New Orleans is still not done sorting out those two-way slots, and the opening left behind should only sharpen the competition when camp gets going. Players like Kobe Bufkin and Christian Koloko are among the names now in position to fight for that space, which means the Pelicans roster churn at the bottom is still very much tied to how they want to build out the big-man group. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Frontcourt Battle Just Put One Young Forward Under Pressure
The Pelicans finished filling out their 15-man roster by signing forward Trendon Watford, and that move gives New Orleans another option in a frontcourt that already looks crowded. Both Watford and Karlo Matkovi are on one-year deals, and with the club expected to lean smaller and faster without a true starting center, the power forward picture suddenly has a lot less room than it did a week ago.
Training camp under new head coach Jamahl Mosley figures to sort out the fit, but the signing also adds pressure to a young forward trying to carve out a place in the rotation. Watford brings another body into the mix, and the battle in that spot could become one of the quieter but more revealing roster questions as the Pelicans settle into Mosleys first camp with the team. [Read more 🡒]