By now, every single New Orleans Pelicans fan is aware that the front office will not have control of their first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. This is because of a deal made during the previous year's draft, where New Orleans sent the rights to their pick this season, along with pick No. 23, to the Atlanta Hawks to select Derik Queen at No. 13. Despite New Orleans not currently having first-round draft capital, Joe Dumars made it clear that the possibility of trading back into the draft is very real.
During his end-of-season presser, Dumars emphasized that, given the team's roster and assets, if they wanted to move into the first round, they could.Â
If the Pelicans’ front office does make a move to acquire a first-round pick in June’s draft, a perfect prospect has just declared. Duke wing Isaiah Evans announced he is declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft. When you think of what New Orleans’ biggest weakness has been these last two sub-30-win seasons, it comes down to one thing: shooting. In this upcoming draft, there is no more prolific sniper than the sophomore Blue Devil.
Evans is the flame-thrower the Pelicans have been searching for
This past season, Evans averaged 15.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and connecting on 36.1 percent on over 7 attempts per game. In his second season with Duke, Evans took tremendous strides in developing his self-creation, becoming more comfortable with the ball in his hands and a better decision-maker.
Evans’ first year as a Blue Devil saw him play more of a complementary bench role, averaging only 8.2 points per game, but that experience was valuable. He shared the court with three lottery picks in the 2025 class in Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach. Learning to share the court with three high-profile players like that taught Evans how to fit into a role as an off-ball sniper and someone who really had to make the most of chances on offense.
Understanding how to play alongside star-level players and take a back seat would help ease his transition to New Orleans. With the likes of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Dejounte Murray, Evans would be featured in a similar role to the one Jordan Hawkins originally had with the Pelicans as an off-ball sniper.
Listed at 6-foot-6, Evans has incredible length, which is paired with an incredibly fluid jumpshot that he gets off easily both on and off the ball.Â
Evans is the perfect plug-and-play piece from day one, with upside to develop into a special scoring talent if put on the right path. With him projected as an early-to mid-20s first-round pick if Joe Dumars has the chance to trade up for him, he should. New Orleans ranked in the bottom seven in threes made, attempted, and percentage this past season. Trading up to draft Evans would be a great step towards changing that.
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