The Pelicans’ newest move has changed the conversation around Jordan Poole fast.
New Orleans locked in Bennedict Mathurin on a two-year, $16 million deal, and that signing gives the roster a different shape heading into training camp. It also puts pressure on EVP Joe Dumars and head coach Jamahl Mosley to get something useful out of Poole before the calendar turns.
Poole is in the last year of an approximately $34 million contract, which means the money itself will matter more and more as the trade deadline gets closer. But expiring salary only goes so far.
If the Pelicans want that deal to have real value, they need other teams to see a player worth using, not just a number on a spreadsheet. The trade-and-buyout path is described as being very limited this season, so Mosley may need to show some early flexibility with how he uses his rotations.
That means the mission is simple: put Poole in spots where his strengths show up and his flaws don’t overwhelm everything else. He’s already proven he can score with the ball in his hands, including a career-high 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in his final Wizards season.
He’s also shown he can function as a movement shooter and finisher, back when he was with the Golden State Warriors before the Draymond Green punch. If he can handle both jobs again, the market should look better as the season goes on.
Right now, though, Poole’s value has fallen hard since leaving Golden State. A stronger camp could help change the mood around him, especially if he looks focused and ready to fight for minutes against Mathurin, Herb Jones, Jeremiah Fears and Saddiq Bey. That kind of buy-in matters because no contender wants to take on a player who doesn’t seem committed.
The Pelicans also have to figure out what Poole looks like next to the rest of the roster. Can he be the scoring punch while defensive pieces like Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Yves Missi and a bulked-up Trey Murphy III handle the heavy lifting?
Can he work off the ball in the Derik Queen and Point Zion Williamson experiment? In the first setup, Poole has to share the playmaking.
In the second, he has to keep moving even when someone else is finishing possessions.
Last season in New Orleans did Poole no favors. He played only 39 games and made eight starts, averaging 13.4 points and 3.1 assists while shooting 37.2% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.
Those numbers dragged him deeper into the same stagnant spot he’s been stuck in. If Mosley can get cleaner production out of him in a defense-first system, the Pelicans could rebuild some value without needing to depend on him long term.
One workable look would feature Poole with Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey and Yves Missi. That group gives New Orleans length at four spots and lets Poole run offense against second units.
Jones would handle the toughest perimeter matchup. Murphy brings size and shooting.
Bey adds another physical wing. Missi provides screening and rim protection.
Dejounte Murray matters here too. The Pelicans should have plenty of reason to stagger Murray with Jeremiah Fears and Bennedict Mathurin, which would also let Poole play without carrying the entire offense every possession. Murray can start the action and guard the more dangerous opposing guard, while Poole works secondary pick-and-rolls, attacks broken defenses and hunts threes.
That’s the lane for Poole. If he shows a better approach and cleaner production, a contender could start viewing him as a secondary creator who can swing a playoff game.
Even some lottery-bound teams may have use for that kind of player. The Pelicans need to take advantage of that possibility.
Teams around the deadline won’t care only about whether Poole can score 20 a night next to Zion Williamson. They’ll want to know whether he can fit next to a star, hold up defensively and give them useful minutes in a tight game.
Mosley’s job is to make sure there’s an answer to that question. Mathurin’s arrival helps because New Orleans doesn’t have to force Poole into every scoring role. With more depth in place, his minutes can be more deliberate, and that could lead to better numbers than the uneven reserve role he dealt with last season.
If Poole gets back into the range of 13 to 16 points per game and shoots 37% or better from deep, the whole discussion shifts. He would no longer look like an expensive project with no clear end point. He’d look like an expiring contract attached to a useful bench scorer, and that kind of player has a market.
The Pelicans probably aren’t going to turn Poole back into a centerpiece. They don’t need to.
They just need the rest of the league to remember he can still change a game in a short burst. If he does that often enough early in the season, his $34 million expiring deal could turn into something real on the trade market.
In Other News...
Pelicans Face A Costly Decision In Push To Land Bennedict Mathurin
The Pelicans have spent much of the offseason looking for another young scoring piece, and Bennedict Mathurin has emerged as a name to watch. The restricted free agent is reportedly weighing a sign-and-trade route to New Orleans, where the Pelicans are said to be the primary suitors, giving them a possible path to add a dynamic wing without waiting for the market to cool.
New Orleans, though, would have to make room to get it done, and that is where the decision gets tricky. Creating the necessary salary cap space could mean moving Jordan Hawkins, a cost the Pelicans would have to weigh against the appeal of landing Mathurin, while Mathurin is also considering the qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Clippers, leaving the situation very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Could Be Heading For A Tough Wing Decision After Mathurin
Jordan Hawkins has become part of the roster math in New Orleans as the Pelicans work through cap and depth questions around the wing. A social media report said the team is considering moving the young guard, who has averaged 8.0 points per game over his three seasons with the club, as part of a broader effort to sort out a crowded rotation while new head coach Jamahl Mosley tries to reshape the group.
The timing is notable because the Pelicans just added Mathurin, a scoring wing who put up 17.4 points per game last season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Between that arrival and the teams push to improve quickly, Hawkins now sits at the center of an uncomfortable choice about who fits long term and who may be used to open up the roster for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans May Have Found A Scoring Steal But One Move Still Looms
Bennedict Mathurin is set to bring a fresh scoring jolt to New Orleans after agreeing to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season. The move comes after the Clippers are expected to withdraw their qualifying offer, which clears the way for Mathurin to join the Pelicans as an unrestricted free agent following a season in which he averaged 17.6 points per game.
Now the focus shifts to the roster mechanics. New Orleans is expected to clear a spot to make the signing official, and while that part is usually more housekeeping than headline, it can still shape the rest of the summer. The Pelicans have their scoring addition lined up, but one move still needs to be made before the fit is complete. [Read more 🡒]