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In

^{Jordan Poole (SG)
Saddiq Bey (SF)
Kevon Looney (C)}

Rookies

• Jeremiah Fears (PG) – Pick #7
• Derik Queen (C) – Pick #13
• Micah Peavy (SG) – Pick #40

Out

^{Bruce Brown Jr (SF)
C.J McCollum (SG)
Kelly Olynyk (C)
Antonio Reeves (SG)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (PF)
Brandon Boston Jr (SG)
Elfrid Payton (PG)}

Depth Chart

PG – Jeremiah Fears
SG – Herbert Jones
SF – Trey Murphy III
F – Zion Williamson
C – Derik Queen
6th Man – Jordan Poole
Rotation players – Jose Alvarado / Saddiq Bey / Yves Missi / Jordan Hawkins / Kevon Looney

^{New Orleans Pelicans Profile}

Team Ceiling

Nothing – Nothing much to comment on the Pelicans. Probably the worst team in the NBA this year. There are even discussions talking about moving their franchise elsewhere

Team Floor

Nothing – Their floor is even worse: they don’t have their draft pick for next year. So it doesn’t matter what they do, they won’t get any better. This is also why Derik Queen is the bust here, which will be explained later.

X-Factor

Trey Murphy III – Trey Murphy can be the X-Factor but not in terms of basketball level, but in the offices. If he proves to be a great player, the Pelicans could trade him for other assets, draft picks… Whatever, but they definitely don’t need him in the team as they won’t win anything. Trey Murphy III could be their key to the future if they let him play and prove he’s a great player so they can sell it to a contender.

Bust

Derik Queen – Another one that is not a bust in basketball terms. He’s good, even though he has a special playstyle and absorbs the ball too much. He’s a bust in terms on what the Pelicans had to pay for him. That draft day trade made no sense and they will pay it unless Derik Queen becomes a superstar in his first season, which won’t happen.

Dark Horse

Jeremiah Fears – While they decide whether they want to try to win games or just develop their youngsters, Fears has gained his starting spot ahead of Jordan Poole. He’s a good player on both ends and is taking advantage of the Pelicans situation as long as it lasts. He can be a great PG for the league in the future.

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One of the biggest fumbles in NBA history. First, trading the 2026 Indiana pick seemed to be a good idea, we can’t blame them for that, as they were in the NBA Finals and no one could know that Haliburton was going to get injured and Myles Turned would leave. We can pardon that… But trading your first round unprotected 2026 draft pick to go from pick #23 to pick #13? That’s pure non-sense, especially when he wasn’t even playing to start the season. At least now he’s starting, but Missi is replacing him in a lot of games to start the second half.

Their situation is horrendous and there seems to be no solution in the short-term. Hopefully they start directing their decisions looking at their current situation and also doing them together with the head coach and his team.

Currently, worst team in the NBA, some players injured and it seems that it will be another lost year for them. Next year it seems that it will be another good draft and they will get – at least for now – a total of 0 players out of that draft. There needs to be a reconstruction but they are not even letting it happen.