The 2025 offseason will definitely be a memorable one for fans of the New Orleans Pelicans. So much happened in such a short amount of time, as Joe Dumars was extremely active. While the 3 time NBA champion received backlash for trading away next year's first-round pick to draft Derik Queen, that was really the only move I thought was questionable.
As far as the 2026 NBA draft class goes, it is extremely top-heavy with names like Mikel Brown, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson. Making it easier to understand why Dumars traded away next year's pick to get his guy. Despite not having the rights to their own first-round pick next year, Dumars has positioned this team in a way where they don't have to commit to an extremely long-term direction.
With a talented roster featuring Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Jordan Poole, and more, many, including myself, believe they have enough talent to be competitive in the Western Conference. However, if things don't go as planned this season and the Pelicans are awful, they can blow things up and start a rebuild.
Both paths present an exciting future for the New Orleans Pelicans
If things go as planned for the Pelicans and they make the NBA playoffs, the offseason will then be all about evaluating which players fit alongside Zion Williamson and which don't. Then from there it's all about using those assets that don't fit to improve the roster and enter the next season with title contention as the goal.
If things don't go as planned during the 2025-26 campaign and the Pelicans are a bottom-three team in the Western Conference, it should be time to enter a full-scale rebuild. New Orleans has a great roster to start a rebuild around, as so many players would have insane value on the open market.
Herb Jones recently signed a 3-year extension, where he is only making $22.6 million annually. To have someone who is a clear-cut top 5 defender in the NBA on that good of a deal would make his trade value unreal. The same thing goes for Dejounte Murray, who is making under $33 million annually, and when compared to other former All-Star point guards and players of his caliber, that deal is a budget-friendly one.
And then obviously the biggest fish if the Pelicans enter a rebuild is Zion Williamson, who, when healthy, is a borderline top 15 player in the league. Z is another player on a team-friendly deal, as for a superstar of his caliber, his annual value being below $40 million is a steal.
These contracts only boost the values of these players on the open market, as almost every member of this team is grossly underpaid. If the Pelicans were forced to enter a rebuild, they would receive a ton in return for their core and be able to build around Trey Murphy, Derik Queen, and Jeremiah Fears going forward. However, if things pan out and this core stays together, those contracts will give Dumars the flexibility to maximize this team's potential.