One of the biggest themes of the 2025-26 season for the New Orleans Pelicans has been the down year former All-Defensive First Team wing Herb Jones has had. Across the board, his shooting splits have tanked to the lowest of his career aside from free-throw percentage. Just two years ago, Jones finished in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting, shot over 40 percent from three, was a fan favorite, and looked like a potential Pelicans lifer. But, in the blink of an eye, his future in New Orleans has never been more uncertain.
In the New Orleans Pelicans 112-108 loss to the Orlando Magic Sunday night, despite starting, Jones saw just nine minutes of action and left the game without having any listed injury.
For elite defenders, nights like this happen sometimes, as they can become too aggressive or have a few calls not go their way. However, the concern here is that Jones had only one foul, so this was clearly a decision by interim head coach James Borrego that the team was better off with him on the bench. Borrego made a similar decision Friday against the Sacramento Kings as Jones logged just 13 minutes after turning the ball over four times and picking up three quick fouls.
With his numbers trending downward and now not seeing the second half in back-to-back games, it feels like the Pelicans and Jones could be trending toward a divorce.
A shrinking role raises bigger questions
We've seen great players have up-and-down offensive production and still be impactful winning players. Players like Marcus Smart, Draymond Green, Ben Wallace, etc. But if you were to take away those strong defensive attributes, these players would be unplayable most of the time. That's exactly where Herb Jones is now.
Sure, he's still very good from the point of attack and better than many other teams' wings defensively, but this season that side of his game has taken a step back. And with offense trending in the wrong direction, it's hard to see where Jones fits in long-term with the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III has already solidified himself as one of New Orleans long-term pieces on the wing, and with the emergence of Saddiq Bey this season, things are getting crowded.
Trading Jones may sound drastic to some, as he is the type of hard-working, blue-collar player the city loves. But with back-to-back seasons of backward-trending production, holding onto him through another offseason is extremely risky. Off of reputation alone, the Pelicans could likely still net a first-round pick for him, but that price is only going to get cheaper the longer the front office waits.
Herb Jones has meant so much to the Pelicans for so long, but the NBA moves fast. With his role diminishing and other wings stepping forward, this summer could very well be the end of the Herb Jones era in New Orleans.