The New Orleans Pelicans made one trade at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, sending Jose Alvarado to the New York Knicks. And while the full details weren’t revealed until recently, Pelicans fans may wish those details had never been revealed.
It was confirmed by Shams Charania that the Pelicans would be receiving Dalen Terry and a pair of second-round picks, but it was unclear what those seconds looked like. Thankfully, Jake Fischer recently confirmed the picks, and the details are brutal.
The 2026 second will be the least favorable of Orlando, Milwaukee, and Detroit. The 2027 second will be the second most favorable of Indiana, Miami, Houston, and OKC.
The Pelicans would have been better off keeping Jose Alvarado
The Heat, Rockets, Thunder, Pistons, and Magic are all playoff teams, and the Pacers are likely to be back in the playoffs next year. When you factor in a potential top-four pick in the 2026 draft, the addition of Ivica Zubac at the deadline, and most of a roster that just reached the NBA Finals returning, it is hard to imagine any of these teams missing the postseason.
The only team involved in these swaps with an unclear future is the Bucks. But they are tied to the 2026 second-round pick, so it does not really matter since the Pelicans are set to receive the least favorable out of the four teams involved.
On top of that, the Pelicans already waived Terry, ending the former Bulls first-round pick's era in the Big Easy before it truly even got started.
Let's take a step back and think of the big picture. With reasonable projection, the Pelicans traded away a player that was the heart and soul of their core in Jose Alvarado for a pair of second-round picks expected to be in the late 40s to 50s and a roster opening. That’s just straight-up pathetic.
Obviously, a move like this wouldn’t have been as bad if other trades had been pulled off by the front office deadline. But with this being the only move, it just feels pointless.
If the front office truly believes in this core group and its ability to achieve NBA success, then trading Jose Alvarado makes little sense. He loved the city, embraced not just the fans but the people, was beloved by his teammates, and played with energy that could shift a game in an instant.
Sure, I am very happy for Jose and glad he gets the chance to play meaningful basketball, rather than rotting on a team that’s 14-40 this season. However, I still can’t wrap my head around selling him for so low and then not making any other moves.