5 New Orleans Pelicans that never played a single minute

4. Jae Crowder

Last season, Jae Crowder was one of the hottest commodities on the trade market. He was so highly desired that the Milwaukee Bucks parted ways with five second-round picks in order to acquire his services (unfortunately, that move didn’t age too well).

But there is a reason why people wanted Crowder so badly. Everywhere he goes, he wins. Before his time in Milwaukee, he made the conference finals/NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Phoenix Suns.

But guess what? Before he earned himself a reputation as a Robert Horry-type winner, Crowder was a member of the Pelicans. You don’t remember that? Well, it’s because, like everyone else on this list, he never played a single minute with the team.

Okay, so he wasn’t actually ever a member of New Orleans in the way that Richards was. New Orleans traded Crowder before he was even selected by them.

In 2009, the then-Hornets traded their 2010 second-round pick and 2012 second-round pick to the Miami Heat for Marcus Thornton. That second pick, the 2012 second-round pick, ended up being Crowder! And Crowder has went on to make a spectacular career for himself as a journeyman two-way forward.

One can’t help but wonder what would have happened if New Orleans kept their pick and drafted Crowder. Maybe we would have gotten our first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance.