Pelicans Front Office Shouldn't Be Tricked by Recent Surge

The New Orleans Pelicans are playing their best basketball of the season, winning nine of their last 14 games. They are now a more respectable 22-45 and have climbed all the way up to 22-45 for the season. Having Dejounte Murray back and the entire roster healthy and playing well is certainly exciting for Pelicans fans, as it makes the team significantly more watchable. At the same time, this recent surge carries the risk of tricking the front office into thinking that this is a team worth holding onto. Joe Dumars & Co. must resist this temptation as we head towards a crucial offseason.

The front office in New Orleans already has a tendency to choose status quo over all else. They have avoided bottoming out and rebuilding since taking over last summer. This meant that they were willing to give up a 2026 first-round pick in the Derik Queen trade and hold onto their veterans to be as competitive as possible this season.

They have clearly and embarrassingly failed in that objective. The 2025-26 Pelicans were nowhere near a postseason team. Now that they are winning more and have a chance to finish with a respectable 30+ wins shouldn't distract the fans or the front office from that reality.

Pelicans Core Is Still Not Worth Holding Onto Despite Recent Wins

It is important to remember the circumstances in which these wins are coming. The Pelicans are the only team outside the top ten in the Western Conference that is still trying to win. The rest of the lottery-bound teams, plus the Wizards, Nets, and the Pacers, have no interest in fielding lineups that have a chance to be competitive. Five of the Pelicans' last nine wins came against these teams.

Yes, the wins against Toronto and Minnesota since the trade deadline were nice, but those are the only two quality wins the Pelicans have had recently. At this stage of the season, wins against lottery teams, unfortunately, don't mean too much. It's still better for the Pelicans to win to build momentum and excitement when they don't have their first-round pick in the draft. But the front office can't use them as a way to convince themselves that this could be a playoff team next season.

The Pelicans need to start prioritizing the future over the present. This means that they need to start accumulating draft picks and young talent. Any veteran with trade value that is not going to be a part of the next good Pelicans team should be available. Holding onto Murray, Zion Williamson, and Herb Jones just because they give you a small chance to chase the tenth seed if all goes right would be a terrible mistake. Let's hope that Dumars doesn't pursue this fool's gold.