5 Pelicans Who Have Entered Their Final Year in New Orleans

2026 will likely mark the end of these vets' times in New Orleans.

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The New Orleans Pelicans will almost certainly go through significant changes in 2026. Before the 2025-26 campaign, the Pelicans front office gave away their unprotected 2026 first-round pick, removing any incentive to bottom out this season. This meant that the top brass saw the Pelicans as a competitive team. Fast forward 37 games into the season and the Pelicans have the worst record in the Western Conference. The team is nowhere near where the front office thought it would be, auguring big changes at the February 5 trade deadline and in the 2026 offseason.

The Pelicans will build around Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen going forward. While this makes everyone else somewhat expendable, it would take a monster offer for the Pelicans to consider moving on from Trey Murphy. The organization is also seemingly very high on Herb Jones, making his trade unlikelier than many think. Plus, those two wings are seamless fits for what the Pelicans are trying to do around Fears and Queen for many years to come.

The same can not be said about the other veterans on the roster. Whether it is at this year's trade deadline or over the summer, plenty of Pelicans will be heading elsewhere in the calendar year.

Dejounte Murray

Murray doesn't seem close to returning to action this season. This likely removes him from the list of trade candidates for now, but it's hard to imagine the veteran guard's tenure in New Orleans lasting for much longer. The 29-year-old is not a great fit next to Fears and Queen and makes $32.7 million in the 2026-27 season.

If Murray can show that he is healthy and productive, he will have a few suitors on the trade market. The Pelicans would be wise to quickly move off Murray at that point.

Zion Williamson

Williamson is healthy and playing well right now, but how long that will last remains a big question. In his seventh season in the NBA, Williamson's availability concerns are as relevant as ever, making him a difficult franchise cornerstone to build around.

When healthy, Williamson is still playing at a near All-Star level. However, those times have been few and far between. A fresh start is needed for both sides, and the Pelicans should seriously consider striking while the iron is hot, meaning while Williamson is playing well. Trading the 25-year-old power forward before the trade deadline is the best option for the Pelicans.

Jordan Poole

Poole will be harder to trade than either of the names above. With his $31.8 million salary this season and the highly inefficient season he is having, Poole will not have too many suitors on the market. What the Pelicans can do instead is to wait until the offseason or the next season to trade him.

The 26-year-old dynamic guard will be on an expiring contract next season, which will be easier to trade. The Pelicans may have to give up additional assets to offload the former Warrior's contract, but considering Poole's poor fit next to Fears and Queen as a ball-dominant poor shooter, it may be worth considering. Regardless of when it happens, it's hard to imagine Poole being a part of this core long-term.

Jose Alvarado

Alvarado has a player option for $4.5 million next season. With the rising salary cap and the player he has become, it's safe to assume that the fan favorite will exercise that option. He could easily get a longer deal that could also pay him more money per season.

While the Pelicans would like to keep Alvarado around, it makes little sense to give a multi-year deal to an undersized guard who will turn 28 in April. It would be wise to try to trade Alvarado while he is on a team-friendly deal and has some appeal on the market. Even if it's for a couple of second-round picks, the Pelicans should consider moving on from the New York native before February.

Kevon Looney

It's hard to overstate how disastrous an offseason signing this has been. The Pelicans gave Kevon Looney a two-year, $16 million deal over the summer, and the veteran center has largely been out of the rotation, despite a desperate need for more size and interior presence. The only redeeming quality of that deal was the team option on the second year.

The Pelicans would be foolish to pick up that $8 million option for next season, which means that Looney will hit free agency in the summer of 2026.