6 Pelicans who must go this offseason
The 2025-26 season has been all over the place for the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are stuck between two timelines, and a major change is coming this summer. After back-to-back sub-30-win seasons, the fan base deserves to have the feeling of hope once again, and that all starts with ending the Zion Williamson era.
Next season would be year eight of the Zion experiment, and Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver can't allow that to happen. But to officially end that era and usher in a future built around Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, Zion can't be the only one to go.
Below are the five other players who should follow Zion on his way out of the Big Easy.
Kevon Looney
Starting things off is the easiest player for the Pelicans to move off of this summer: Kevon Looney. When the three-time NBA Champion was signed in the 2025 offseason, the idea was that the Pelicans could get one more year of dirty-work center play from Loon. Obviously, things did not happen that way, as the veteran saw the court just 21 times this season.
With his team option price tag set at $8 million and the Pelicans having to balance multiple heavy contracts, there's no doubt they'll be declining that option this offseason.
What was once a signing some viewed as rounding out the starting five and putting the Pelicans in a competitive spot when at full health quickly went in the opposite direction. It was apparent from his first game in New Orleans that Looney had the tools that a center next to Zion Williamson needs, but that he was just brought in too late in his career.
Jordan Hawkins
A player who, in theory, fits everything this team needs: Jordan Hawkins. When Hawk was drafted in the back half of the 2023 NBA Draft, he was expected to be a great long-term piece who would bring elite spacing to a team built around a star who needs to be surrounded by shooters. From the start of his NBA career, it looked like the Pelicans found exactly what they wanted in Hawkins: elite shooting, confidence, consistent movement, and an incredibly quick release.
But then back problems started to develop, and Hawkins eventually just didn't look like the same player. That undeniable confidence in his shot has been gone ever since, and this season felt like his last chance to change that narrative.
Over the last three games of the season, Hawk has started trending in a more positive direction as he rebuilds confidence in his shot. With one year left on his deal, being dealt for a second-round pick or being waived are Hawk's most likely outcomes.
There is no doubt that, in the right situation and environment, his shot could return, and he could become an impact player like he was at UConn. However, the place for that to happen is clearly not New Orleans.
Jordan Poole
The Pelicans' biggest disappointment this season has to be Jordan Poole. Coming off a career year in Washington and having the runway cleared for him to be the team's lead guard for the first half of the season, big things were expected. With Dejounte Murray supposed to return in the New Year, JP was asked to hold things down as the team's lead guard, then later move back to the bench to give the team a nice spark. But he wasn't ready for the moment.
Poole lost his starting spot after two games to rookie guard Jeremiah Fears, and from that point on, he failed to find a rhythm. The former NBA champion spent most of the season registering DNPs and watching from the sidelines rather than being a shot-maker.
With a strong game in his second-to-last appearance of the season, maybe Poole showed enough for some team to buy into his potential on a one-year deal.
Herb Jones
Jones is a fan favorite—there’s no disputing that, and while there were moments this season when his defense made him the most impactful player, his offense is too bad to ignore. For the second straight season, Jones was a total negative offensively, shooting sub-40 percent from the field and just slightly over 30 percent from three this season. With his defense still at a high level, this is the Pelicans' last chance to capitalize on moving Jones while his name still has value.
Jones' defense starts to regress a little bit every season, and with his injuries continuing to pile up and his floor spacing not being what it was just a season ago, trading him now is the smart move. After signing a three-year extension with the team last offseason, getting off that deal sooner rather than later is better for the Pelicans.
The team still values his defense and could buy into the potential he has to rediscover his jumpshot. But, for a Pelicans team that needs to surround their young core with shooters, holding on to Jones isn't smart.
Dejounte Murray
For a while after Murray returned from injury, many fans bought into the idea that he needed to stay in New Orleans and be a veteran leader for this young team. But the way Jeremiah Fears closed the season should alter those plans. The No. 7 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has been hooping down the stretch, and it would be disrespectful to have him still be a backup next season. The best way for the Pelicans to have a quick, effective rebuild is to let the young guys rock, and to do that, clearing out the guard room is necessary.
When Dejounte was acquired back in the summer of 2024, he was viewed as the missing piece, as the Pelicans needed a floor general, and he was exactly that. However, the timing just never worked, as whenever things started to pick up, someone would get hurt, or a setback would happen.
Every offseason, teams are looking for ways to improve their guard depth or find a new option at point guard, and Murray will be at the top of many of those lists. Trading Murray could be the Pelicans' key to getting back into the first round of this year's draft or finally fixing their frontcourt problems.
Zion Williamson
The crown jewel of this is Zion Williamson. Trading none of these players means anything if Zion stays put. When the Pelicans drafted the Duke superstar in 2019, he was supposed to change everything and help take the team to heights Anthony Davis had previously struggled to reach. Every new season, the front office was finding ways to surround him with more shooting and talent, but it never amounted to any postseason success, and it's time to finally pull the plug.
Zion has posted his lowest usage of his career, has remained healthy for the majority of the season, and is still providing elite offensive production. All signs are pointing to this being the end of Z’s time in New Orleans.
With Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears emerging in their rookie seasons, for the first time since he was drafted, the Pelicans have a clear afterlife without Zion. For years, the thing that stalled the previous front office from finally pulling the trigger was a lack of direction after Zion, but now they have that and really have no reason to hesitate any further.
The 2025-26 season felt like a feel-it-out year for Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver, where they just wanted to put everyone in prove-it years and let their play decide their fate. And for Zion Williamson and the majority of the players previously brought in to complement his game, their futures won't include the city of New Orleans or a Pelicans jersey.