The New Orleans Pelicans offseason is really starting to get underway with Jamahl Mosley officially the franchise's next head coach and going through his introductory press conference.
It’s been known since the conclusion of the 2025-26 season that Joe Dumars has zero plans of entering a rebuild and is committed to this core. The goal with Troy Weaver and Dumars has always been to get the Pelicans back to the playoffs and build a sustainable winning culture in New Orleans. Coming off a 26-win season, the Pelicans aren’t just going to run things back and turn the ship around, and Dumars is fully aware of that.
While he was introducing Jamahl Mosley to the media on Tuesday, he highlighted how he felt confident in ensuring that candidates had the resources to build a real winner.
"Jamahl is the guy that aligned with our vision more than anyone else... When you're talking to coaches, often that question comes up, "Are you going to have the resources to be great?" It's a good feeling when you can say yes"
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) May 26, 2026
-- Joe Dumars on Jamahl Mosely pic.twitter.com/E7rBBJhxAJ
The Pelicans have a strong foundation with Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, and their 2025 rookie duo. But internal growth can only take this team so far, and Dumars' awareness of that suggests a busy summer for the Pelicans.
Dumars wants to build a winner
There is so much flexibility and ways to get creative despite not owning a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. With a contract like Jordan Poole’s being a one-year deal and having a $34+ million price point, it makes matching salaries in trades very easy. Pair his contract with the Bucks' first-round pick next season, and the Pelicans could bring a high-quality starter in or maybe even an all-star caliber talent.
Someone like Herb Jones is also always going to hold value because he is flat-out elite defensively and has had really high highs as a three-point shooter. And that’s where the Pelicans wing depth comes in so clutch, as the front office could part with one of Jones, Saddiq Bey, or Trey Murphy III and still be strong on that front.
Speaking of Murphy III, I did mention him as part of the foundation, but he’s someone whose trade value could simply be too high not to trade. Teams love the combination of his skillset, versatility, potential, and contract. Trading someone like him could bring assets for the future to be used later and potentially fill positional needs, like at the center spot.
Dumars is also expected to have a near $15 million middle-level expectation at his disposal in what isn’t a top-heavy free agency class but a deep one.
Although many people around the NBA world feel like the Pelicans may be a lost cause or should scrap everything and go full rebuild mode, they have the tools to build something great. The question now becomes, can Joe Dumars use these tools correctly, because even a hammer is useless in the wrong hands?
Add us as a preferred source on Google