The New Orleans Pelicans are approaching a major crossroads in the progression of their franchise this offseason. They took a small turn earlier this year when they finally moved off of Brandon Ingram and traded him to the Toronto Raptors. This summer, though, they could and should make some integral decisions that will either fast-track their path to contention or redirect them towards a rebuild.
Some changes will be out of their control. The Pelicans will be relying heavily on Lady Luck to bless them come the NBA Draft Lottery. If they land the number one pick, that'll instantly answer one question with Cooper Flagg but raise multiple other inquiries, including: What do they do with Zion Williamson now?
Zion Williamson's future with New Orleans seemed more uncertain this past season than ever before. When he remained a Pelican through the trade deadline, there was a palpable collective sigh of relief. His job security seemingly grew tighter as he continued his torrid run after that, but, in reality, there's a real chance that he may have already played his last game as a Pelican. It might not even take landing the number one pick for New Orleans to move off of Zion, as they have the opportunity to pivot to a much more affordable and assuring core this summer.
The Pelicans could move off of Zion and build around Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and their incoming lottery pick
Despite their disastrous season this year, the New Orleans Pelicans have an incredibly bright outlook moving forward. None of it's a guarantee, of course, but there's a legitimate possibility that they could be real contenders as early as next season. They'll be adding a lottery pick from a stacked draft class to a core that already features several established high-end veterans such as Zion, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, and CJ McCollum.
That's one possibility. Injecting an instant contributor on a rookie-scale contract to this core — someone like Duke's Khaman Maluach or Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, for example — should be enough to make them a serious playoff team at the least, granted everyone returns to form and stays healthy.
Alternatively, they could trade some of their assets to build a contending roster. Earlier this year, New Orleans made practically their entire roster available for deals, including Zion, Dejounte, and CJ. They could revisit those markets this offseason. They could also trade their first-round pick for some immediate, established help. This could become extremely likely if they fall outside of their preferred range in the lottery. They could even do both.
They could also blow it up this summer with the aid of their incoming draft selection. The Pelicans might have avoided paying the luxury tax yet again, but their roster is an expensive one. They're slated to have four players make $25 million or more next season: Zion, CJ, Dejounte, and TMIII. That's a tough bill to foot for a non-contending roster, and it also severely limits their flexibility to make changes to their personnel.
This offseason, New Orleans could elect to pivot to a retool, one that would significantly alleviate their books. In Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, the Pelicans have two established young pieces on high-quality deals, two of the best values in the entire NBA. Murphy III is signed through the 2028-29 season for an average of $28 million per year. Herb is locked down until summer 2027 for a little over $13 million annually. Add a top draft pick this summer to those two and New Orleans suddenly has an incredibly talented, promising, and affordable young core.
If they're able to shed Zion, CJ, and Dejounte for future draft capital and expiring contracts, they could free up a lot of money and flexibility to build around Trey, Herb, and their incoming rookie. It's definitely not the worst idea in the world, especially if they've grown tired of relying on Williamson to stay healthy.