5 biggest offseason questions for the New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans: 5 questions for the offseason
#3: Will the Pelicans extend CJ McCollum?
The New Orleans Pelicans do not have to make this decision right away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about whether they will want to extend CJ McCollum.
McCollum is signed through the 2023-24 season, when he will be 32-years-old, so this is similar to the Jrue Holiday situation, but there are some key differences.
The biggest one is that the Pels are ready to compete now, and they need McCollum as their third guy.
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CJ will be looking for one more big payday before he retires but if the Pels extend him they will likely be paying near max money for a guy who is going to be past his prime years.
This is going to be a tough decision and one to keep an eye on throughout this offseason and next.
#4: What will the New Orleans Pelicans do with Jaxson Hayes?
The Pels already picked up the team option they had on Hayes for next season, but he is due for an extension, just like Zion Williamson.
The Pels clearly like Hayes and put him in the starting lineup to close out the season, but he was pretty much unplayable in the playoffs and still doesn’t really have a clear position in the rotation.
Hayes has flashed his talent at times but he’s been wildly inconsistent and has some issues with decision making both on and off the court.
The Pelicans could just let him play out this current deal and see where they are at the end of next season. They could also trade him to a rebuilding team that had more minutes and a bigger role for him, or they could try and extend him.
The third option might be the riskiest, as the Pelicans absolutely cannot have any dead money on their roster, meaning they can’t pay a guy $10 million a year who can’t get on the floor in the playoffs.
Hayes is still only 21, so it would be tough to give up on a guy with his amount of athleticism and talent, but if they sign him to an extension and he doesn’t improve, they are going to be in cap hell in a year and have a very expensive roster.
That might lead the Pelicans to packaging Hayes in a trade.