The New Orleans Pelicans are getting set to enter a franchise-defining offseason. The Pelicans face two potential paths entering a rebuild with Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen at the helm; the other is running things back by investing in a fully healthy season with this current core.
Given that New Orleans is 10-8 since the All-Star break and has the thirteenth-best offense over this stretch, the idea that Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver would reinvest makes sense.
The majority of Pelicans fans would likely be all for giving this group another chance, especially given how the second half of this season has gone. However, that decision must come with one major caveat. The front office cannot run this exact roster back and has to do a soft retool by adding size and floor spacing. Size and shooting dominate the modern NBA, and it's time for Weaver and Dumars to realize that and get with the times.
The entirety of the 2025-26 season, including this recent hot streak, the team's Achilles heel has been rebounding and shooting the three-ball. If the Pelicans plan to bring back Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson, and Trey Murphy III, they must address the team's major need for a consistent three-point threat and a true glass-cleaning center.
The core can stay, but the supporting cast must change
New Orleans this season has the seventh-worst three-point percentage, and aside from Trey Murphy III, the team doesn't have anyone the coaching staff can draw consistent three-point actions for. The NBA has become like a category fantasy sports league: to win games, you have to dominate different categories, and the most valuable category is threes made. This season, New Orleans has very rarely won that margin, and it's why they sit where they do in the standings.
Shooting may appear to be the bigger problem, as we've seen countless times the Pelicans shoot or be shot out of games, but that said, adding shooting won't matter if the team still has no size.
Along with being in the bottom tier of three-point percentage, they also give up the second-most offensive rebounds per game and allow the sixth-most points in the paint per game. The trio of young frontcourt talent that is Yves Missi, Karklo Matkovic, and Derik Queen has a ton of potential, and fans should be really high on them. But it would be unfair for the front office to expect Missi or Matkovic to be a starting-caliber big next season in only their third year after not even having consistent reps this season.
If the Pelicans' front office is serious about running back this core, they owe it to the fans to retool. This team, at its core, has the potential to be a top-five seed out West when healthy, but the roster needs some tinkering. If they add a couple of three-point specialists and an experienced center, the 2026-27 campaign can be one of the best in franchise history.