With the 2026 NBA Draft rapidly approaching, trade rumors involving the New Orleans Pelicans are ramping up. The latest from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype speculates that the Pelicans are trying to trade into the NBA Draft lottery. If Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver really want to start a rebuild, they must keep their young center, Yves Missi.
At the trade deadline, there were rumors that the Pelicans were shopping Missi around, perhaps for a first-round draft pick. If the Pelicans are looking to get back into the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, they should be looking to trade some of their older players, not someone who is going into just their third season like Missi.
When I say older, I’m talking about Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, and Dejounte Murray. All these guys are between the ages of 25 and 29 years old.
If the Pelicans want to rebuild, they should be able to acquire multiple first-round draft picks for these players. They have plenty to trade to get back into the lottery of this year’s draft without sacrificing Missi.
If they are going to trade one of these guys for a draft pick, then they need to go full speed towards a rebuild. Trying to walk a tightrope between a rebuild and winning won’t work.
The Pelicans already have players they can start a rebuild around
Guys like Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Missi should be staying. It’s been made clear that Fears and Queen are guys the Pelicans want to build around. And for good reasons. They both showed tremendous potential in their rookie seasons.
Missi isn’t going to be a superstar or someone you want to plan a rebuild around, but he has the potential to become a solid piece of a winning team. He just needs more time to develop. And if the Pelicans are going to rebuild, they have the time to wait for Missi to realize his full potential.
In his first two seasons, Missi averaged 7.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He needs to continue to improve, but has shown flashes of becoming a shot-blocking and rim-running center.
Missi is young enough to be a part of a Pelicans rebuild. He obviously has a lot of potential, and with just two years under his belt, he should be given more time to see if he can live up to that potential.
It makes no sense to trade a guy like Missi, who is still improving and only 22 years old. If the Pelicans were looking to contend, then I would say they trade him for a veteran who can help right away.
Missi may not be a building block, but he has enough potential to hang onto and see what he can become while the Pelicans rebuild.
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