3 Losers (And 1 Winner) of the Pelicans' Trade Deadline

Who is in a worse situation and whose future is brighter than they were before the trade deadline?

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans did what they have been signaling all along. Despite a disastrous 13-40 record, they kept their powder dry and stood pat at the trade deadline. Keeping the core members of their team, the Pelicans are promising more of the same to their fanbase. Even though there wasn't much movement for the Pelicans, some came out of the week as losers, and one came out in a better situation. Let's explore.

Winner: Jose Alvarado

The only player the Pelicans moved this week was Jose Alvarado. Pelicans fans will certainly miss Alvarado, who always gave it his all throughout his tenure in New Orleans. He will be remembered fondly, but he is moving to greener pastures.

Alvarado is going to his hometown Knicks and will have a chance to compete for a championship. The 27-year-old guard will play meaningful basketball and should be able to sign a longer-term deal in New York by turning down his player option in the offseason.

Loser: Jordan Poole

Poole has been a healthy scratch for six straight games and will not be a part of the rotation barring injuries. There was some hope that the Pelicans would be able to move him at the deadline, but there were presumably no takers. Not only is Poole in the midst of a disastrous season, but he is also under contract for $34 million next season. No team is going to take that on without accepting significant compensation. The Pelicans are not in a position to give up draft capital to offload bad salary.

There is a chance James Borrego gets Poole back in the rotation at some point in the season, just to see if they can get more out of him in a limited role and increase his trade value. Poole's brand has never been worse, and unless he miraculously plays better in the final stretch of the season, he will find it very hard to get himself to a better team and situation.

Loser: Dejounte Murray

Murray seemingly wanted out of New Orleans, but a deal didn't materialize. This was not unexpected, as Murray has yet to play this season and makes $30.8 million. He is under contract for another season and is due $32.7 million. These factors prevented a Dejounte Murray trade, and that must be disappointing for the 29-year-old guard.

Now, the Pelicans and Murray have to make a decision about the final two months of the season. There is currently no timetable for Murray's return, even though he teased his intention to get back to court in the month of February. He can either come back and try to rehabilitate his trade value, or sit out the rest of the season and try to get himself traded then.

Either way, coming back to a 13-40 team that doesn't have you in their future plans can't be easy after a year of absence.

Loser: Pelicans Fans

The unequivocal loser of this whole trade deadline is the Pelicans fanbase. Stuck with a leadership and front office that have no idea how to build a sustainable winner, Pelicans fans weren't given an ounce of hope.

Bad teams that don't win a lot of games in the present need hope and optimism. That means young players with upside, draft picks, and future assets. The Pelicans are not only a bad team that has lost more games than any other team this season, but they are also low on assets. Instead of trying to accumulate more assets, the Pelicans decided to keep their core that has gone 34-101 over the last season and a half together.

The worst part is that the Pelicans' top brass has not identified the problem. A recent report revealed that the Pelicans think of themselves as a playoff roster, highlighting their delusions. How can fans have any faith in a front office that can't see what is right in front of them that everyone else can see?