One of the most surprising wrinkles as the New Orleans Pelicans get deeper into trade season has been the continued reports that the front office is shopping Yves Missi. The 21-year-old center is only in his second season and has already emerged as an elite defensive anchor, making his availability all the more unexpected.
The second-year big has been linked to both the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls, with Jake Fischer reporting that the framework for a Missi swap for Bennedict Mathurin has been discussed. However, Fischer also mentioned Indiana is holding out for a potentially bigger return for Mathurin.
A trade swap involving Yves Missi and Bennedict Mathurin has been floating around, per @JakeLFischer
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 22, 2026
“An incomplete deal framework that could still make it to the finish line: There have been whispers about various trade constructions that would feature Missi landing with… pic.twitter.com/0DBZuPKNdz
This is problematic for the Pelicans as they are forced to wait on Indiana to trade Missi.
The Pelicans are playing a dangerous game
If the Pacers are genuinely planning to scour the trade market until the final minutes of the trade deadline to find the best return for Mathurin, the Pelicans are facing a long, uncertain wait.
In simple terms, the Pacers now basically hold Yves Missi’s future in their hands. It appears the Pelicans' front office is all in on bringing in Mathurin and is just waiting on the Pacers to finalize the deal. Mathurin would be a substantial perimeter scoring addition, but if the deal falls through, the Pelicans need a backup plan.
Trading Missi would definitely be a mistake, given his production and potential with him leading the team in net rating this season and earning All-Rookie Second Team honors last season. But if Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver believe that moving on from him is the right call, they must change their approach.
Instead of just being tied to bringing in Mathurin, the front office must start making calls to other teams and find other destinations for Missi.
If they don’t start doing this by the time the deadline comes, they could find themselves completely missing out on trading a player they are interested in moving. Now is not the time to wait passively on one potential deal. It's time to show urgency and explore other avenues, call other GMs, and get active. For a team that finds itself with a 10-36 record and no first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft, the lack of urgency from the front office leaders is just a slap in the face to fans.
With the clock ticking toward the February 5th trade deadline, every day of hesitation risks losing leverage, missing opportunities, and destabilizing the roster. The front office needs to act decisively, explore every trade avenue, and shake things up before it’s too late.