With the New Orleans Pelicans dead last in the Western Conference with a 4-22 record, the expectation is that the team could be a major seller at this year's trade deadline. The question now is how hard the Pelicans will sell and which players will be made available come trade season.
One name that keeps popping up in various reports and rumors as someone plenty of teams are interested in is Jose Alvarado. The 27-year-old guard is on a contract at $4.5 million this season that will be easy for other teams to match, and brings the type of grit and energy teams typically look for in a backup point guard.
The latest team Alvarado has been connected to is the New York Knicks, according to a report from SYNtv’s Knicks reporter Ian Begley.
"I think teams around the league are just keeping an eye down there to see who's New Orleans going to make available. What will they want for those players? A New York product, Jose Alvarado, if they make him available, the Knicks, I'm sure, will be one of those teams that are interested. The Knicks will be among many teams that are interested in Jose Alvarado if he is made available."Ian Begley
As Begley mentioned, Alvarado is originally from the New York area, so going to the Knicks would be a cool full-circle homecoming moment for him. He would also instantly help their second unit, as aside from second-year guard Tyler Kolek, the Knicks only have score-first guards off the bench and lack a true initiator.
The mock trade I drew up has the Pelicans receiving the two players New York drafted in the 2024 NBA draft, in Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet, as well as the Knicks’ 2026 first-round pick for Alvarado. I really like this deal, as it gives the Pelicans another young guard in Kolek, who was a prolific playmaker in college, and allows them to take a flyer on an unproven 19-year-old that I’m still high on in Dadiet, while securing a pick in the 2026 draft.
The Alvarado trade should lay the blueprint for how New Orleans approaches the deadline
If I were a betting man and had to predict which player on the Pelicans would be traded first, I’d put my money on Alvarado. Mainly because he provides a skill set every team could use coming off the bench and is on an incredibly team-friendly contract. He is also putting up impressive stats this season, averaging 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 37.6 percent from three.
If this assumption proves correct, the Pelicans should use the return for Alvarado as a checklist for what they should do in return if they sell further with the two boxes being young talent and draft picks.
The Pelicans have a solid foundation to build a real youth movement, with Derik Queen as the player the team runs its offense through, and Jeremiah Fears as an explosive scoring guard. Micah Peavy as the team's wing stopper and energy guy, Bryce McGowens as a microwave off the bench, and if they decide to keep him, Trey Murphy III as the go-to bucket getter.
All the front office needs to do to solidify this core is sell off veterans and, in return, get back future draft capital and young players that fit this team's long-term plans. Although trading Jose Alvarado may seem like a minor move, it could signal a larger transformation and a new direction for the Pelicans.