During his end of year press conference, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars expressed interest in getting back into the 2026 NBA Draft. While on the surface it would be smart for the Pelicans to get a draft pick in such a strong class, the cost outweighs the potential benefits.
Now that the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery has commenced, Pelicans fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The pick the Pelicans traded to the Atlanta Hawks ended up being the eighth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
While surrendering a top 10 pick in a very strong draft is not great, it could have been a lot worse. If the Hawks ended up in the top five or six it would have really hurt.
Obviously, there will be interest from the Pelicans in trading back into such a strong draft, but doing so would hurt the Pelicans in the short term. And based on past comments from Dumars, it doesn’t seem like the Pelicans want to do a full rebuild
Whether you agree with him or not, it seems as though Dumars feels this team is not far from contending. I know this sounds crazy to a lot of fans, but I agree with him.
The cost of getting back into the 2026 NBA Draft will be sky high
This is why the cost of trading into the first round of this year’s draft wouldn’t be worth it. Who on the Pelicans roster do you think it would take to get into the first round?
I’m guessing you would have to include Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Jeremiah Fears, or Derik Queen. For me, that is too high a cost. The asking price for a lottery pick is going to be astronomical. It may even take more than one of those guys to get into this year’s draft lottery, along with future draft picks.
I believe all four of these guys can be a part of a Pelicans team that makes the playoffs. I expect to see improvement on impressive rookie seasons from Fears and Queen. And if Murphy III and Jones can stay healthy, their best may still be yet to come.
Unless the Pelicans can move into position to draft either Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, or Caleb Wilson, it’s not worth the risk. And I’d imagine that getting into position to draft one of those players would require giving up more than one of Murphy III, Jones, Fears, and Queen. Even then, it may not be possible.
Is Dumars actively looking to get back into the 2026 NBA Draft? Who knows, but if he really thinks this Pelicans squad isn’t far off from being a winning team, he shouldn’t pay the price it will cost to get an impact draft prospect.
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