The New Orleans Pelicans have reached the playoffs just eight times in their first 20 seasons as a franchise, and they have never advanced beyond the second round. The Pels are building an exciting young core around Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, and they are hoping that solves one of the franchise’s biggest issues thus far.
New Orleans has struggled to retain talent since becoming a franchise in 2002. From Chris Paul to Anthony Davis to Jrue Holiday, the Pelicans have traded away their best players before they have reached their peak. It has kept the franchise from winning at the highest level, and they are hoping their new core can change that.
Here is a look at ten players the Pelicans gave up on too soon in their first 20 years as a franchise.
Players New Orleans Pelicans gave up on way too soon: 10. Josh Hart
Hart bounced around a bit early in his NBA career. He was drafted by the Utah Jazz before a draft night trade sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6’5 wing was one of four players New Orleans acquired from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade, as they also got three first-round picks for their All-Star big man.
Hart played well with the Lakers, but he truly blossomed during his two-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans, where he averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steal in 29.3 minutes per game. Hart’s game took a step forward on both ends of the floor, but New Orleans won just 63 games in his two full seasons with the franchise.
At the 2022 trade deadline, the Pelicans sent Hart to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the CJ McCollum trade. The 28-year-old has continued to improve after leaving New Orleans. His 3-point percentage keeps getting better, and the 6’5 wing made the playoffs for the first time with the Knicks in 2023.
Josh Hart fits on any contending team. The 6’5 wing can defend multiple positions, rebound well, and he is a league-average 3-point shooter for his career. The Pelicans would surely love to have Hart as an option on the wing as they chase postseason success with Ingram and Williamson.
9. J.R. Smith
The then-New Orleans Hornets drafted J.R. Smith with the 18th overall pick in 2004. The 6’6 wing went directly from high school in New Jersey to the NBA. Smith immediately cracked the rotation, and the teenager played well down the stretch of his rookie season, but his team won just 18 games.
Smith’s minutes took a step back in year two as the team made a 20-win improvement. He started to find his jumper, but he was playing behind Chris Paul, Speedy Claxton, Desmond Mason, and Rasual Butler. Smith fell out of head coach Byron Scott’s rotation before being traded twice in the 2006 offseason to end up with the Denver Nuggets. The Pelicans netted Tyson Chandler in their deal, but Smith was just getting started.
His game took a significant leap with the Nuggets, and it started a run where Smith made the playoffs in 12 of the next 14 years, including winning two championships playing next to LeBron James. J.R. was a starter and key shot-maker on the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship team that upset the Golden State Warriors in the finals.
Smith proved to be a winner throughout his 16-year NBA career, and the Pelicans gave up on him before he ever got the chance to blossom. The 6’6 wing played mostly as a sixth man in his career, and he certainly would have helped New Orleans, as they made the playoffs just five times during Smith’s time in the league.
8. Buddy Hield
The Pelicans drafted Buddy Hield with the sixth overall pick in 2016. The 6’4 guard was coming off a dominant senior season at the University of Oklahoma, where he averaged over 25.0 points per game and was one of the best scorers in the NCAA. New Orleans was hoping that he blossomed into a star, but his time with the Pelicans last just 57 games.
Hield was playing just 20 minutes per game and shooting under 40 percent from the field when the rookie was traded to the Sacramento Kings as part of a five-player deal that sent DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans. The 6’4 guard was shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point range and showed flashes even without playing massive minutes.
Hield became a starter in his third season, where he played all 82 games and averaged over 20 points per game. He was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2022 as part of the Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton swap. Hield remains one of the league’s best 3-point shooters, and he can get red hot on any given night.
Buddy Hield is in his seventh NBA season, and the 30-year-old has plenty left in the tank. He is shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range for his career, and the Pelicans have struggled to generate a high volume of threes in recent years.
7. Darren Collison
The Pelicans drafted Darren Collison with the 21st overall pick in 2009, and he immediately became the team’s backup point guard behind Chris Paul. CP3 was a three-time All-Star, who had led the league in assists and steals for two straight years, and it would have been difficult to play the two undersized point guards together.
Collison averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 assists, and one steal in 27.8 minutes per game as a rookie, as he shot 47.7 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. The then-Hornets missed the playoffs after making it two straight years, as Paul was limited to 45 games because of injury. During that time, Collison’s minutes increased, and he showcased his promise.
The Pelicans decided to trade Darren Collison in the 2010 off-season in a deal that brought Trevor Ariza to New Orleans. It allowed them to get a better fit next to Chris Paul, and New Orleans was back in the playoffs in 2011 before things fell apart.
CP3 was in Los Angeles after one more year, and the Pelicans won just 82 games over the next three years combined. Collison immediately became the starting point guard for the Pacers and he had them in the playoffs in 2011. He was a starter for nine straight years, and the Pelicans certainly missed him after trading away Chris Paul just one year after dealing Collison.
6. Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza was an accomplished veteran by the time he arrived in New Orleans. The 6’8 wing helped the Lakers win the championship in 2009 as a starter on the wing throughout their postseason run. Ariza left the Lakers for the Houston Rockets in free agency after winning the title, where he averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game as a starter.
Collison was a promising young point guard, but Ariza was a better fit next to Chris Paul, and the Pelicans believed they could make a run. The 6’8 wing started in New Orleans and helped the Hornets get back to the playoffs, but they were knocked out by the Lakers in the first round.
Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2011 offseason, and the Pelicans nosedived. They won just 21 games in the 2011-2012 season, and injuries limited Ariza to just 41 of the 66 games in the shortened regular season. The Hornets traded him and Emeka Okafor to the Washington Wizards for Rashad Lewis and a second-round pick in the 2012 offseason.
Trevor Ariza was far from done at that point. He helped the Wizards reach the second round of the playoffs in 2014 and made two conference finals appearances with the Rockets in 2015 and 2018. The 6’8 wing did plenty of dirty work to help his teams win, and the Pelicans could have used a key rotation piece like Ariza, as they made the playoffs just twice in the next decade.
5. Julius Randle
Julius Randle was the seventh overall pick by the Lakers in the 2014 draft, but things did not go as planned in Los Angeles. His rookie season lasted just 14 minutes before a foot injury ended his season. Randle got back on the floor and continued to improve throughout his four years, but the Lakers missed the playoffs every year.
Los Angeles decided against making Randle a restricted free agent, which opened the door for the Pelicans to sign him to a one-plus-one contract in 2018.
The 6’8 forward took his game to another level in New Orleans as he averaged 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 30.6 minutes per game. He set new career highs in scoring, minutes, and 3-point percentage as he lived up to his draft hype. The Pelicans won just 33 games and missed the playoffs before Randle opted out of his contract at the end of the season.
After that, Randle signed a three-year deal with the New York Knicks in 2019 and is now a two-time All-Star and an elite scorer. He is averaging over 25 points per game this season, and New York will be in the playoffs for the second time in three years.
The Pelicans should have kept Julius Randle after his breakout season. Instead, they let him walk, traded Anthony Davis, and have won just 97 games over the next three seasons combined.
4. Baron Davis
Baron Davis was drafted by the Hornets with the third overall pick in 1999, and he came to New Orleans when then-owner George Shinn decided to relocate his franchise before the 2002-2003 season. The 6’3 point guard was an All-Star in his final year in Charlotte, and the 22-year-old was on his way to becoming a superstar.
Davis was an All-Star for the second time in 2004, but he dealt with injuries during his two full seasons in New Orleans that limited him to just 117 regular season games. The Pelicans made the playoffs both years and were knocked out in the first round each time. Still, Davis averaged over 20 points, seven rebounds, and two steals during his time in New Orleans.
The two-time All-Star was traded to the Warriors at the 2005 trade deadline for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis. Plenty of tension existed between the star point guard and management as the 6’3 guard forced his way out of New Orleans. Davis was tired of losing, and this trade paved the way for New Orleans to draft Chris Paul.
Baron Davis was a starting point guard in the NBA for five more years, and he twice averaged over 20 points per game for an entire season after leaving New Orleans. The 6’3 guard had plenty left in the tank, and the organization’s struggles forced them to give up on him too soon.
3. Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler was the second overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, and he spent his first five NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The seven-footer showed plenty of flashes, but he struggled with foul issues, so Chicago decided to trade him to the Pelicans for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith in the summer of 2006.
Chandler was the unquestioned starting center in New Orleans, and he led the league in total offensive rebounds in his first two years. His fouls came down, which allowed his minutes to go up. He had instant chemistry with Chris Paul and shot over 62 percent from the field in each of his first two seasons. Chandler had one of the best years of his career in New Orleans, where he averaged 11.8 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game as a 25-year-old.
The then-Hornets had one of their best seasons in 2008, with Chandler at center. They pushed the Spurs to seven games in the second round of the playoffs, and New Orleans felt like a threat to win that series and make their first-ever conference finals.
Injuries limited Chandler to just 45 regular season games in the 2008-2009 season, and New Orleans attempted to trade him to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the deadline. But the deal was rescinded after an issue with Chandler’s medical. They were successful in moving in the 2009 offseason to Charlotte.
All Tyson Chandler did from there was win Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, make the All-Defensive teams three times, and become an All-Star. The seven-footer also won a championship with the Mavericks in 2011 and became one of the best defensive big men of his generation after leaving New Orleans.
2. Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday was already an All-Star before coming to New Orleans in 2013. The 6’3 guard worked his way into the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting lineup as a rookie and improved every year from there. The Pelicans gave up two first-round picks to land him, including the sixth overall pick in that year’s draft, which Philadelphia used to select Nerlens Noel.
Holiday was fantastic during his seven seasons in New Orleans. He became a 20-point per-game scorer as he transformed into one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, but the Pelicans made just two playoff appearances. After Anthony Davis requested a trade and was shipped to Los Angeles, New Orleans kept Holiday for one more season before trading him to the Milwaukee Bucks in a massive deal that netted the Pelicans four first-round picks.
Jrue Holiday helped the Bucks win the championship in his first season in Milwaukee, and he just became a two-time All-Star in 2023. The 32-year-old is one of the best two-way guards in the league, and Milwaukee has been a title contender since the moment he arrived.
Milwaukee’s offer was just too good to pass up, but the Pelicans gave up on Jrue Holiday too soon. They would not have had to trade for C.J. McCollum if they just kept Jrue Holiday. The former Pelican is the superior defender and playmaker that could still be making a massive impact in New Orleans.
1. Chris Paul
Chris Paul is arguably the best player in franchise history. They drafted him fourth overall after their worst season since moving to New Orleans, and he immediately took over as the team’s starting point guard. He was an All-Star in his third season and had the then-Hornets in the second round of the playoffs. CP3 just kept improving, and he was one of the league’s best players by the time he left New Orleans in 2011.
There may be no stranger trade than CP3 leaving the team that drafted him. The NBA bought the Hornets from George Shinn in 2010, and it owned the franchise until Tom Benson purchased the team in 2012. The front office in New Orleans feared Paul would leave when he reached free agency, so the Pelicans traded him after the lockout ended in 2011. They had a deal in place with the Lakers, but NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed it, only to let CP3 be traded to the Clippers just four days later.
Paul went on to be an All-Star eight more times, and he has helped the Clippers, Rockets, and Phoenix Suns make playoff runs since leaving New Orleans. He will go down as one of the best point guards of this generation, and the Pelicans franchise gave up on him at 25 years old.