The New Orleans Pelicans were given an intriguing choice earlier this season, one that offered this cursed franchise and its tortured front office an elusive and alluring but risky chance at a clean slate. The Pelicans came into this season with plans to make a deep playoff run, building off of Zion Williamson's 72-game performance from last season and adding an All-Star in Dejounte Murray over the summer. Unfortunately, injuries struck down their entire core in the early season, effectively ending their playoff hopes just a few weeks into the league year.
From there, Executive Vice President David Griffin and the rest of the New Orleans brass were given a rare opportunity to undergo a complete teardown of this roster without fear of too much pushback. After the reality had set in that the Pelicans' season was over before it could really even begin, with another year completely lost to injury, they could have burned this franchise to the ground and it would have been understandable — a natural culmination of all of the shortcomings and frustrations from the past half-decade.
But, at the trade deadline, Griffin and the Pelicans opted against tearing it down, choosing instead to just make two small, predictable moves and keep most of the core intact. It seems they want to give it another chance with Zion, to see what he can do with a fully awakened Trey Murphy III by his side, freed from the shackles of his mismatched pairing with Brandon Ingram, and with a new prized rookie on the roster to add to their weaponry. Or, maybe they just wanted to wait until the offseason to decide if they want to reset the roster completely. It was wise of them to delay things until the summer, because, now, the Pelicans are well-equipped to land any superstar that might be seeking greener pastures.
The New Orleans Pelicans could trade for a star this summer
At the time of writing, the Pelicans are 14-43, proud owners of the second-worst record in the NBA. As a result, they have the second-best odds for the 2025 draft lottery. In the league's new lottery system that was implemented for the 2020 draft, the three teams with the worst records have an equal, flattened chance to land the number one pick: 14 percent each. They also have the same odds to land the number two pick at 13.4 percent, the number three pick at 12.7 percent, and the fourth selection at 12 percent.
If New Orleans finishes in the bottom three like they're on track to do, they'll have nearly a 68 percent chance to walk away with a top-four pick in a draft that features multiple potential franchise cornerstones like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and Egor Demin. The Pelicans could simply spend the selection to add a blue-chip prospect to an already-established roster featuring several high-end talents like Zion, Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum, essentially recreating the Golden State Warriors' "two timelines" plan. Or, they could compound their assets and bring a surefire, bonafide superstar to the Bayou.
They'll enter this offseason loaded with assets in their war chest: a likely top-four draft pick in 2025, all of their own future first-round selections, additional draft capital from the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, several expendable high-end veterans, and multiple robust contracts ideal for salary-matching. They could even include one of Zion or Trey Murphy III if they see fit.
Maybe a team like the Phoenix Suns has another gut-wrenching flameout in the playoffs and one of their stars like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant demands a trade. New Orleans could offer their 2025 lottery pick, a borderline All-Star talent like Dejounte or CJ, and other draft selections, if needed, to create a package that no other team could beat.
There's no telling what superstars might want out this summer. This past trade deadline showed that anything was possible, with several household names getting moved out of the blue including Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, and De'Aaron Fox. If any teams decide it's time to reset their roster, or if any of them even open things up for discussion, the Pelicans could cobble together a package that's too enticing to refuse.