It's been challenging to gauge the direction Joe Dumars is taking the Pelicans in, but after signing Herb Jones to a three-year extension, the direction is now clear. It appears Dumars wants to keep both Trey Murphy and Jones around long-term as building blocks for the future, while also putting Zion Williamson in a prove-it year.
With Jones signing a 3-year, $68 million extension Thursday night, he is now under contract for the next five seasons with the Pelicans for a total of $96.8 million. Jones does have a player option for the 2029-30 season, which aligns him with when Trey Murphy's four-year contract expires. With Herb at 26 and Murphy at 25, this extension will now keep the wing duo together through the start of their primes.
Keeping these two together was a great decision by Dumars, as both players are on team-friendly contracts and will remain a key focus of this franchise for years to come.
Jones can defend every position, ranking in the top 10 in defense against isolation over the past two years. He also is developing into an incredible threat from beyond the arc. Last season he struggled shooting due to a shoulder injury that ended his season, but in 2023-24, Jones shot 41.8% from beyond the arc on 3.6 attempts per game.
As far as Murphy goes, he's shown flashes of becoming one of the league's top three-level scorers. His ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot, even at 6'8", is deadly; he possesses a silky smooth jump shot that helped him nail 36.1% of his threes last season. 2024-25 was a career year across the board for Murphy, averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, and trust me when I say this: it's only going to go up from here.
This is an incredible sign for Pelicans fans
Now i haven't been the biggest fan of a lot of the moves Dumars has made, however keeping Murphy and Jones together is the right call. This season will now present a test for Zion Williamson as the orgnaization has committed to both Murphy and Jones long term and for him to get that same commitment he needs to ball out.
This puts the Pelicans on a great path, as if things don't work out with Williamson, they can trade him and re-tool around Murphy, Jones, Fears, Missi, and Queen.
After months of directionless decision-making, it now appears the Pelicans finally have a clear plan in place. This season, Zion Williamson must prove to the front office that he fits into their vision, while Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are expected to be key building blocks for years to come.