8 Players Who are Likely Finished as New Orleans Pelicans After Tonight
New Orleans Pelicans: Players who won’t be with the team next year.
The Tough Calls
Jahlil Okafor
Jahlil Okafor didn’t play a lot this season, but when he did get into the game, he showed what he can do, which is get buckets. This was on full display in the last game against the Kings, as Okafor was unstoppable in the post, scoring 21 points on nine of 11 shooting. If the game was purely about back-to-the-basket scoring, then Okafor would be an All-Star, as he has one of the best post games in the NBA. The problem is that is all he can do.
Okafor is not a rim protector, doesn’t run the floor well and is generally too slow to for the New Orleans Pelicans. I like him as a third center who can come off the bench and get buckets in short bursts, but he probably showed enough this season to get more minutes somewhere else as the primary backup.
The Pelicans are not good enough defensively anywhere else to have Okafor on the floor much, but if they could keep him as a third center on vet’s minimum, I’d be all for it. Unfortunately, Okafor’s ability to score has probably priced him out of “deep bench center” range, so he’s probably done as a Pelican.
Frank Jackson
Frank Jackson will be an unrestricted free agent, and of all the players on this list, he is the most likely to return. Jackson has size, plays with pace, can defend both guard spots and only made $1.6 million this season. He didn’t play perfectly by any means, but he was one of the bright spots of the bubble and Alvin Gentry turned to him when his team needed energy. Jackson’s potential return will probably come down to whether some other team makes him an offer. The Pelicans aren’t going to go too deep into the pocketbooks to keep Jackson, so if someone else offers him a three year deal, the Pels are probably going to let him walk.
Jackson has a lot of the qualities the Pelicans are looking for, but when they started going to Nickeil Alexander-Walker as the primary ball handler with Jackson on the floor, the writing was probably on the wall for Jackson’s time as a Pelican.