Pelicans dug into a deep hole on free agency day 1 (and might have no way out)

The New Orleans Pelicans plan on shaking things up this offseason. It started by trading for Dejounte Murray, but the franchise is not done. Brandon Ingram is still in trade rumors, and New Orleans has holes to fill.

Day one of free agency saw two key players depart. Jonas Valanciunas agreed to a contract with the Wizards, and Naji Marshall made a pact with the Mavericks. The Pelicans starting center and a key defender are gone. It was difficult for New Orleans to bring them back, but their exits created problems.

The Pelicans have ten players under contract and are just a few million dollars under the luxury tax. They are unlikely to increase their spending, which means another trade is on the horizon. If New Orleans does it to cut costs, there would be larger issues on the horizon.

Pelicans have no way to replace Jonas Valanciunas or Naji Marshall

If Brandon Ingram is traded, New Orleans must split his contract into multiple pieces. The focus will be landing a starting center, but their depth will be questionable.

Remember, Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels were traded for Murray. If BI departs, the Pelicans lost their first, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth players in minutes per game from last season. Murray will replace Ingram, but who will take those other roles?

They will likely give more minutes to Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins. Finding other replacements won’t be easy. An Ingram trade likely nets the Pelicans two rotation pieces, but will they be the right fits with the rest of their roster.

Having a guard rotation for Murray, C.J. McCollum, and Alvarado could lead to problems defensively. With Marshall gone, the Pelicans need to focus on their D in their upcoming trade.

The New Orleans Pelicans have four key rotation players to replace and no money to spend. They will add minimum contracts in free agency to fill their roster if no other moves are made, but finding quality minutes won’t be easy. New Orleans has dug a massive hole for itself, but only one day of free agency is in the books.

More moves are coming. The Pels will struggle to replace their depth and won’t pay the tax. David Griffin and the front office still believe they can build a contender around Zion Williamson. It won’t be easy, but stay tuned to see what New Orleans does next. It could be a blockbuster.