Before the All-Star break, the New Orleans Pelicans were viewed as a team that would likely enter a rebuild in the 2026 offseason. With a bottom-five record, a core largely in its prime, and two recent lottery picks, New Orleans had a clear escape this summer. However, the Pelicans are now the 12th seed out West and are four games above .500 since the All-Star break, which could alter the front office's plan this summer.
At one point, it felt like a sure thing that this would be the final year in New Orleans for players like Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, Dejounte Murray, and even interim head coach James Borrego. But now with the Pelicans finally fully healthy (aside from Bryce McGowens) and clicking on both sides of the basketball, the front office's best option may be to run things back.
New Orleans may no longer need a rebuild
All of last season and the first half of this season for the New Orleans Pelicans were highlighted by one thing: injuries. With the 2024-25 campaign being a wash as the Pels rostered 25 different players due to the amount of health issues the team had, and then this season starting in a similar fashion, it felt like change was on the way. It's not just New Orleans' 9-5 record since the All-Star break that makes it feel like a similar core could be ready to go next season; it's also the way the players have been speaking in the media.
It started with Dejounte Murray coming back and saying that the rest of this season is about building winning habits and developing chemistry for next season. Then, most recently, Yves Missi said something along the same lines.
"Everyone got healthy... We're building something for next year. That's the main thing. We know the record is not the best, just go out there and play. Get some wins and get ready for next year"
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) March 17, 2026
-- Yves Missi on where the team is right now pic.twitter.com/pDi6sQS1GM
For a while now, I've thought that whether the team is running a similar group back or not, Zion Williamson has to go. Next season will be Z's eighth season in New Orleans, and to this point, that hasn't amounted to any playoff success. However, he just had the healthiest stretch of his career this season, appearing in 35 straight games, and is still playing at an All-Star-caliber level, so it may not even make sense to trade him.
The same sentiment about Zion applies to Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, and even James Borrego. The Pelicans' post-All-Star break turnaround hasn't just been about one player—it's been a full-on group effort, which complicates things long-term. If ownership wants this team in the playoffs next season, this recent stretch shows that keeping this core together for another year could be their best chance to achieve it.