The New Orleans Pelicans have spent the offseason swirling through the rumor mill, but the case for the front office is pretty simple: do less.
That’s not the most thrilling answer for a fan base that has heard plenty of chatter about trades, draft maneuvering and free-agent swings. A deal for Jaylen Brown would turn heads.
A top-10 pick would do the same. Trey Murphy III keeps showing up in trade speculation, and there are centers on the market who would make sense on paper.
But the argument here is that none of the splashy options is the best path for New Orleans. The smarter play is to stay put, make a couple of smaller additions and avoid forcing something just to satisfy the offseason noise.
The Pelicans have already made one modest move by re-signing DeAndre Jordan, adding depth at center while keeping a veteran presence around the group. It’s not the kind of move that changes the conversation, but it does help the roster.
There’s still a chance the team adds another big man, though that doesn’t sound like a lock. Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver could decide to bring in one more center, but another low-key pickup would not be a surprise.
Beyond that, the Pelicans may end up banking on something even less glamorous: health. If the group gets to training camp intact and actually has a real chance to start the season at full strength, that alone would change the outlook.
Saddiq Bey is one player whose future could eventually need to be sorted out. He’s a free agent after next season, so New Orleans could trade him, sign him long term, or simply wait and see how things develop before making a call.
That kind of patience may not thrill everyone, especially after a 26-win season. Fans usually want movement in the offseason, and that urge gets even louder when the year before was as rough as this one. But the roster as it stands is not being dismissed here.
Part of the reason for optimism is coaching. Willie Green did not get the job done, and once James Borrego took over, the Pelicans looked like a different team. Borrego didn’t lead a full turnaround, but the bench change showed there’s room for growth there.
The belief is that Jamahl Mosley could be even better.
The other piece is availability. The Pelicans have been hit by injuries too often in recent years, and that has made it hard to judge the roster at full strength. If that changes, the ceiling changes with it.
A healthy Dejounte Murray alongside Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey gives New Orleans a strong group on the wing and in the backcourt, while Derik Queen and Yves Missi can handle the center spot. There are flaws in the mix, but there’s also real talent if Mosley finds the right combinations.
So yes, a quiet offseason would frustrate plenty of people. But the idea is that the Pelicans may not need a dramatic overhaul to be better. Better coaching, better health and a mostly unchanged roster could be enough to push them past last year’s mess.
In Other News...
Pelicans Make A Two-Way Roster Call Right Before Free Agency
With free agency set to open Tuesday night, the Pelicans made a pair of two-way roster decisions that helped clarify their immediate plans on the fringes of the roster. New Orleans is keeping its options open around center Hunter Dickinson, while also reshaping the back end of the roster with an eye toward what comes next.
The bigger context is the recent addition of Jaron Pierre Jr., who is expected to fill a two-way role next season and gives the club another young guard to sort through. That makes the decision on Trey Alexander part of a broader roster picture, one where New Orleans is weighing development, fit and how many two-way spots it wants committed before the market officially opens. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Could Be Near A Major Roster And Staff Decision
Saddiq Beys first season back from ACL surgery gave the Pelicans a better look at what he can still bring when healthy, and it comes at a time when New Orleans is sorting through both its roster and its staff. Bey gave the team production and versatility on the wing, the kind of player archetype that tends to matter even more when a front office is trying to build out a steadier rotation around a new coach.
The bigger question now is how the Pelicans want to handle that momentum with summer business ahead. Bey is extension-eligible beginning July 11, and there is mutual interest in continuing the relationship, but the franchise also has to weigh the timing and terms of any longer commitment while Jamahl Mosley begins putting his own imprint on the program. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Face One Defining Free Agency Choice They Can't Miss
With two roster spots still open, the Pelicans have some real flexibility in how they use their mid-level exception this offseason. The team has $15.05 million to work with, and the choice is less about simply adding bodies than finding players who fit clear needs and can raise the floor of a roster that has been uneven in key areas.
Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kennard stand out as two very different kinds of answers, which is what makes this decision interesting. One would help inside with rim protection and physical defense, while the other would give New Orleans a proven perimeter threat to address its issues from long range, leaving the front office to decide which weakness matters most in the final stretch of roster building. [Read more 🡒]