The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot riding on this upcoming summer. This past 2024-25 NBA season, the franchise endured a truly humbling campaign — not that their fans really needed any more abasing. Regardless, both the Pelicans and their faithful were taken down a rung after the team went 21-61, finishing 14th in the Western Conference in a year they hoped to present themselves as dark-horse title contenders at worst.
Because of their disastrous campaign, the organization did some deep introspection and came away with the conclusion that they needed to overhaul their front office. They kicked off their offseason by showing former Executive Vice President David Griffin the door and replacing him with Joe Dumars the very next day. Now, Dumars is tasked with both reviving the Pelicans franchise this summer and erasing his own blemished reputation in the NBA Draft.
There's a lot of work to be done in New Orleans this offseason, but nothing will be more important than the lottery and the subsequent draft. Where they pick and who they select as a result could drastically dictate not just the team's actions this summer but the franchise's entire future. With that much riding on it, the Pelicans and their fans are surely looking for as many harbingers of hope as they can find. Unfortunately, their sister team in the New Orleans Saints didn't inspire much confidence with their first-round draft pick.
Pelicans fans should be wary after Saints pick Kelvin Banks Jr. ninth overall
With the ninth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. out of the University of Texas. It marked the second year in a row that they took an offensive tackle in the first round, after nabbing Taliese Fuaga with the 14th pick in 2024.
For all intents and purposes, Banks Jr. is a fine player and should significantly buoy a Saints offensive line that desperately needed some additional beef. It may have been a small reach, as most draft analysts had him in the late 20s and 30s on their big boards, but, for their needs, it wasn't an absurd decision.
For some fans, though, the Banks Jr. pick represents a lot more than just adding an offensive tackle. To some, it's proof of New Orleans's contentment with mediocrity. It's a choice that the front office knew wouldn't be a popular or lauded decision. It was boring. All things considered, it's a message to the fans that the franchise, its brass, and its ownership don't care about what they want.
The Benson family are the majority owners of both the Saints and the Pelicans. Both teams and their managements have been taking fire from the fans for their uninspired direction, topped with poor facilities, diminishing attendance, and soaring prices. The Pelicans have already drawn scrutiny for their hirings of Joe Dumars and new Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Troy Weaver. Now, those two will have to defy their track records and come away with a phenomenal draft and offseason for New Orleans. If the Saints are to be predictive of the Pelicans' success, then we're not off to a great start.