There's been a lot of talk about how this summer is supposed to be a monumental offseason for the New Orleans Pelicans. The franchise is undeniably at a crossroads, stuck at a fork between tearing it down for a total rebuild or continuing its pursuit of a championship-caliber roster around former number-one overall pick Zion Williamson.
The NBA Draft lottery brought the team a bit of clarity. Had the Pelicans drawn a top-three pick, new President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and the rest of the New Orleans brass may have seriously considered trading Zion and using the return to build around a new cornerstone like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey. Since they dropped to seventh, though, it makes it much easier to give it at least another year with Big Z.
Now, they know that they can either spend the seventh pick or trade it to help flesh out their roster around Williamson. But that's not all they can do to improve their personnel this summer. New Orleans hasn't had many high-profile free agent acquisitions over the years, but that doesn't mean they can't land a difference-maker this offseason. The Pelicans could greatly improve their title chances by signing this free-agent point guard.
Ty Jerome would be the perfect free agency addition for the New Orleans Pelicans
All year, Ty Jerome positioned himself as a top candidate for this past season's Sixth Man of the Year award by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers' reserve unit. He averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting a stellar 52 percent from the field and an even more impressive 44 percent from deep. He did so in just under 20 minutes a night. Per 36 minutes, his numbers shoot up to 22.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
His production extends beyond the stat sheet, too. He aptly filled in for one of the best point guards in the league in Darius Garland. Like Garland, Jerome constantly threatens opposing defenses as both an on-ball creator and an off-ball sniper. He's an artist in the pick-and-roll, capable of changing paces on a whim, finding open teammates on the roll or with a skip pass to the perimeter, and making defenders pay for dropping too low into the paint with a patented floater off of the bounce. Because of his offensive excellence, the Cavs hardly missed a beat when Garland was out. Cleveland maintained a 123.1 offensive rating whenever Jerome was on the court. In the playoffs, they were scoring over 125 points per 100 possessions with him in the game.
The Pelicans added an All-Star point guard just last summer, but Dejounte Murray is expected to be out until around January 2026 with a ruptured Achilles. Signing Ty Jerome in free agency this offseason would give New Orleans the perfect floor general to hold things down while Murray rehabilitates his injury. Then, once DJM is back in action, he can form a lethal one-two punch with Jerome for the Pels' point guard rotation. What would have been a glaring weak point in their personnel would suddenly become one of their roster's greatest strengths.
Jerome is sure to command a heftier contract this summer than the $2.5 million salary he made this past season. He's also likely to have plenty of suitors in free agency. The Pelicans won't have the cap space to outbid other teams looking to sign Jerome, but they will be able to use their midlevel exception, which could allow New Orleans to offer him a handsome $14 million annually. If they're willing to throw him their entire MLE, that should make them a top contender to sign him this summer.