There's no denying that the 2024-25 NBA season went about as awfully as it could have for the New Orleans Pelicans. They may not have finished with the worst record in the league, as their 21-61 mark put them just ahead of the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Utah Jazz, but, when factoring in preseason expectations, they had by far the most disappointing campaign.
Last year, Zion Williamson had the healthiest season of his career, playing in 70 regular-season games. Then, to build on their 49-33 showing and brief playoff appearance, they traded for Dejounte Murray, giving them their long-awaited point guard to lead their offense. On top of that, Big Z significantly slimmed down over the summer and maintained his new playing shape to enter the season.
With all that in mind, it was completely understandable why the Pelicans and their faithful had high hopes for this past season. Unfortunately, a slew of injuries erased all of that optimism and sank their playoff hopes before the campaign could really even get started. Now, New Orleans is staring down the barrel at a potential franchise overhaul. Despite all of the crushing disappointment from this past season, all of it will be worth it if the Pelicans' losing results in them drawing the number one pick and, with it, Cooper Flagg. Obviously, getting the opportunity to add Cooper Flagg would be a dream, but it could also mean the end of the Pelicans as we know them.
Getting Cooper Flagg should motivate the Pelicans to tear it all down
Earlier this season, the Pelicans reportedly considered overhauling their roster. While they ultimately only traded away Brandon Ingram and Daniel Theis at the deadline, nearly everyone was available in talks outside of a few select young players. That shortlist was comprised of Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Yves Missi, and Jordan Hawkins.
If New Orleans gets the number one pick, they'll almost certainly spend it on Cooper Flagg, the consensus top prospect and a truly generational talent. He also projects to be at his best at the power forward position, a statement that also applies to Zion, TMIII, and Herb Jones.
There's a chance that the Pelicans would just trade Zion in that case and pivot to building around Flagg, Murphy III, Jones, and whatever other young players they decide to keep around. But, it might make more sense for New Orleans to commit to a total reset if they land a prospect as game-changing as Flagg.
Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones might still be on the young side as NBA players, but they're definitely a notch above a true rookie in terms of timeline. TMIII will turn 25 this summer, and Jones will be 27 at the start of next season. A core consisting of Flagg, Murphy III, and Jones probably won't be competing for titles — unless Flagg is even better than advertised right out of the gates and Trey takes another leap — but they would be talented enough to keep the Pelicans from the top of the lottery odds again.
Rather than keep Trey and Herb's long-term contracts on the payroll just to prevent them from landing additional blue-chip prospects to put alongside Flagg, New Orleans could instead opt for a complete teardown and trade all of their veteran pieces to build around their new prized franchise cornerstone. Trading Zion, Murphy III, Jones, CJ McCollum, and Dejounte Murray is bound to fetch a haul for the Pelicans in terms of draft capital and young talent. It's not definitely the correct course of action if they do land the number one pick, but it certainly makes sense, especially when considering that the Pelicans just brought in a new front office regime.