The New Orleans Pelicans are staring at a grim forecast from ESPN, and it’s not a flattering one. In a season where the expectation should be better health and a cleaner runway, the prediction still has New Orleans taking a step backward.
ESPN’s NBA Insiders projected the Pelicans to finish No. 14 in the West with a 25-57 record. That would leave them one win short of last season’s 26 victories, which already marked the second straight year the franchise failed to reach 30 wins.
The biggest reason behind the projection is pretty simple: ESPN’s Tim MacMahon pointed to the lack of major roster changes this offseason. For a team that has already lived through back-to-back sub-30-win seasons, that kind of continuity can feel less like stability and more like standing still.
New Orleans, though, clearly believes the group it has is capable of more than it has shown. The front office likes the blend of talent on the roster, even if it hasn’t clicked the way the organization hoped.
Making sweeping changes would have meant tearing the whole thing apart, and the Pelicans were limited by some bad contracts. So instead of a full reset, they made smaller adjustments and kept the Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones core intact.
The biggest shift may be on the sideline. Willie Green was fired early last season, and James Borrego served as interim coach for most of the year.
Now the Pelicans are set to adjust again, with Jamahl Mosley and much of his Orlando Magic staff coming in. That kind of turnover matters, especially when a team is trying to build any sort of rhythm.
There’s also at least some internal hope that Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen can take a natural step forward from year one to year two. How much they grow is still unclear, but both have reportedly been working hard this offseason.
Outside the building, the optimism is thin. Few are expecting a dramatic leap from New Orleans. But if the Pelicans do end up at 25 wins, that would count as a major disappointment and could trigger plenty more change in New Orleans.
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Pelicans Were Chasing A Proven Scorer Before Plans Changed
Before DeMar DeRozan landed in Denver, the Pelicans were among the teams in the mix, a reminder that New Orleans kept looking for a veteran wing scorer to help balance out its roster. The club has been active in that search, and DeRozans name fit the profile of the kind of proven offensive piece the Pelicans have been chasing as they try to shore up the perimeter.
Instead, New Orleans wound up going a different direction and signed Trendon Watford, while DeRozan agreed to a $3.9 million deal with the Nuggets. There, he is expected to take on a significant scoring role, leaving the Pelicans to keep sorting through their wing plans as they work to fill a need that remained clear even after the move on from DeRozan. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Camp Battle Could Still Reshape The Back End Of Roster
The Pelicans still have a little roster sorting to do before camp settles into a rhythm, and the most interesting decisions are tucked near the bottom of the depth chart. Trendon Watford and Caleb Houstan are competing for what appears to be the final active roster spot, while Kobe Bufkin and Christian Koloko are in the mix for the last two-way contract, giving New Orleans a couple of late-summer battles worth watching.
For a team that has made relatively few offseason moves so far, those final choices could say plenty about how the Pelicans want to round out the group before opening night. There is still room for additional changes before the season begins, which keeps the back end of the roster from feeling settled just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Still Have The Same Frontcourt Problem Fans Feared
The Pelicans spent the offseason leaning toward continuity, keeping much of the roster together while bringing back DeAndre Jordan and moving on from Kevon Looneys option. It leaves New Orleans looking a lot like the group that struggled to protect the paint and anchor the defense last season, with the frontcourt still built around a question the team never really answered.
Joe Dumars said the team explored ways to improve the roster but did not find a move that would clearly elevate the group, and that leaves the center spot as the familiar pressure point heading into the new year. For a team that wants to turn a disappointing defensive showing into something sturdier, the search for a starting-caliber two-way big remains the issue hanging over everything else. [Read more 🡒]