Throughout the entire NBA offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans have received slander for everything they've done. Whether it was trading for Jordan Poole, their decisions on draft night and during free agency, the media have not been too kind to Troy Weaver and Joe Dumars.
The slander towards the Pelicans' front office is extremely unfair, especially when you compare their activity this summer to a team like the Miami Heat. Who just traded away an elite role player in Haywood Highsmith for a bag of original Ruffles.
The Miami Heat have traded Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a protected 2026 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ilO1dBStWw
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 15, 2025
Sure, the Heat stole Kasparas Jakučionis on draft night with the 20th pick, but they didn't do anything to land him; they didn't trade up or trade down. He just fell into their lap. The same thing goes for the Norman Powell trade; the Clippers wanted to dump him, and Utah had no interest, so that's why he ended up in Miami.
Even though both these moves may improve their roster, the Heat once again failed to reach their goals this offseason. Miami entered the summer with Kevin Durant in mind and instead ended up with Norman Powell because Pat Riley was unwilling to give up Nikola Jovic and an extra pick swap for KD.
This same level of stubbornness is exactly why Jimmy Butler left. Butler carried a sorry excuse for a playoff team to the NBA finals twice, yet Riley continued to refuse to bring in another star to lighten Jimmy's load.
Unlike the Heat, the Pelicans' offseason goals were met
During the NBA summer league, Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that the Pelicans' biggest goal during the offseason was to bring in depth. The front office felt that because of this core's injury history, depth was the area that needed to be addressed the most.
Joe Dumars also talked about how, entering the draft, his goal was to draft rookies with high potential that weren't tasked with being high-impact players right away.
New Orleans executed this plan to perfection! They brought in both Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen in the lottery, two guys who are long-term projects and won't be relied on as rookies. They also addressed their need for depth by bringing Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole, Micah Peavy, and Saddiq Bey.
So even though you might disagree with the moves the Pelicans made this summer, you have to give Dumars and the front office props for putting a plan in place and executing it.
The Pelicans, unlike the Heat, came into this offseason knowing exactly who they wanted to sign, draft, and trade for, rather than waiting around like raccoons looking for scraps.