Pelicans Must Pounce on Trade Opportunity After Nico Harrison Firing

The New Orleans Pelicans may now have a trade opportunity with the Dallas Mavericks.

Oct 6, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison looks on before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickie's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans are in the midst of yet another lost season as they sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 2-8 record. Normally, what would make sense for a team in the Pelicans' situation would be to try to tank and increase their lottery odds for the 2026 NBA Draft, especially when their franchise star is sidelined. The Pelicans are unfortunately not a normal team, and they have traded away their 2026 first-round pick without any protections. This prevents them from intentionally bottoming out this season, which means that they should still try to build out the roster for the future without thinking much about the current season.

Enter the Dallas Mavericks, who could be an ideal trade partner for the Pelicans, after parting ways with GM Nico Harrison. The architect of the infamous Luka Doncic trade, Harrison, didn't last very long after receiving non-stop and well-deserved scrutiny over the last nine months. This likely suggests that Dallas will be pivoting, and more moves may be incoming.

Regardless of which direction the new GM will take this team, they will want to put their imprint on the ridiculously imbalanced roster Harrison built. This should make a few valuable players available and the Pelicans should take advantage.

Pelicans Should Try to Take Advantage of Mavs' Implosion

The Mavs have an abundance of big men. Their center rotation comprises Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and Anthony Davis, while PJ Washington and Cooper Flagg's best position is power forward. Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin can also get minutes at the four. That is simply too many quality frontcourt players for a team whose backcourt rotation is Brandon Williams, D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, and Max Christie. Any new GM will try to move on from one or two of the frontcourt options to add more backcourt players.

The Pelicans also have a ton of options at center, but none as good as Gafford. The front office has failed to put a good rim-protecting center next to Zion Williamson in years, and Gafford can finally fill that void. He plays both ends of the floor as he is a very good rim runner and lob finisher on offense and is a solid shot blocker on defense. He could be a solid pick-and-roll partner for Jeremiah Fears for a long time.

The best part of trying to trade for Gafford is the fact that he fits the Pelicans' timeline and is under contract for three more years after this season. The 27-year-old center signed a three-year, $54 million extension over the summer, but he makes $14.3 million this season. He could be acquired with a package consisting of a combination of Kevon Looney, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins, and Saddiq Bey, along with an unprotected first-round pick or two protected first-round picks.

The idea of giving up more future picks may be scary for Pelicans fans, and that's understandable. But that may be the only way to get out of the mess the front office has gotten itself into.