What felt like the realest rumor following the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2025-26 trade deadline was that the front office was shopping Yves Missi. The second-year big man was linked to the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and, according to Jake Fischer, was involved in an offer to the Indiana Pacers for their off-guard Bennedict Mathurin.
Nothing obviously came of this, as Missi is still in New Orleans and has taken back a more permanent role in the rotation since the All-Star break. However, that doesn't mean he's in the clear yet, as both Troy Weaver and Joe Dumars could still be looking to shop him this summer.
If that is the plan, it's time for the Pelicans' decision-makers to really give their heads a shake and reconsider. I'll be the first to say that coming into the season, and for a long time, I was all for shopping Missi as I felt the team didn't need him, especially after taking Derik Queen in the lottery of the 2025 NBA draft.
But his impact can't be denied, and if the Pelicans decide to part ways with him while he's only 21, it'll be a choice they come to regret.
Yves Missi impact can't be denied
Aside from Dejounte Murray, who made his return recently, Missi is the only player on the Pelicans with a positive Net rating this season. Obviously, analytics only tell half the story, but when you watch New Orleans play, you can see why Missi is in this exclusive club. He has a motor you can't teach, and it leads to winning plays all the time. Things like crashing the glass hard, helping on the weakside as a rim protector, chasing down an opposing fast break, and generating a stop.
For a while, there were discussions and questions about how he fit with Derik Queen, but now we are seeing that he needs to be put alongside a player in Missi's mold. DQ isn't a great rebounder or defender, and is small for the center spot, putting him next to Missi hides those flaws and allows both players to excel at their strengths. If given the time, they'll be a dominant front-court pairing for years.
In an NBA where front offices are so pressed to find a floor spacer or a center who can put the ball on the floor and create for others, Missi's playstyle flies under the radar. While the traditional dirty-work rim-protecting five-man is often overlooked, that skill set still has so much value in the league; players like Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, and Mitchell Robinson all rock.
This offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans front office should seriously reevaluate its plans for Yves Missi, because trading him away could set the franchise back.