The New Orleans Pelicans employed new administration on the finish of final season, bringing in Joe Dumars as President of Basketball Operations and Troy Weaver as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations to run the entrance workplace. They had been energetic, together with making a pair of draft picks trades to maneuver up and take Maryland massive man Derik Queen with the thirteenth choose of the 2025 NBA Draft.
They first executed a commerce with the Indiana Pacers through the NBA Finals, sending the Pacers again their 2026 first-round choose in change for the No. 23 choose on this 12 months’s draft. That was extra ammunition for Dumars and Weaver so as to add a second gifted rookie to the roster, and provided that the Pacers had been taking part in within the NBA Finals, it appeared like an affordable wager to make.
Then mere days later, Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Sport 7, and the Pacers‘ outlook for 2025-26 modified dramatically. Affected by accidents to begin the season alongside Haliburton lacking all the 12 months, the Pacers started 0-5 and simply pulled off their first win Saturday evening. If the season ended right this moment, they might flip a coin with the Washington Wizards for the third spot within the Draft Lottery.
Armed with the No. 23 choose, the Pelicans weren’t executed. After they chose Oklahoma level guard Jeremiah Fears with the No. 8 choose within the draft, they started calling round wanting to make use of that twenty third choose to commerce again into the lottery and take Queen. To incentivize groups, they supplied the higher of their choose and the Milwaukee Bucks‘ choose in 2026, fully unprotected.
The Atlanta Hawks gladly took the supply, probably laughing all the time they had been on the telephone calling it into the league workplace. The Pelicans made a wager that they might be a lot better this season, banking on the return and well being of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones — whereas in some way additionally believing sufficient in two younger offense-first rookies that they may assist them win instantly.
The Pelicans are horrible and on monitor to lose their choose
The whole NBA world noticed the potential catastrophe awaiting the Pelicans, and that has come to go instantly to begin the season. The Pelicans are 0-5, tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the worst file within the league. The Nets have stripped their roster of all the things resembling a successful participant to tank this season; the Pels thought they might be so good that they traded away their first-round choose.
If the Pelicans had executed nothing final spring — if Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver had gone on a months-long cruise with out web or telephone sign — they might be holding two of the 4 most respected draft picks within the 2026 NBA Draft. The lottery would clearly have one thing to say about the place they finally landed, but when issues stayed how they’re, the Pelicans might very simply have two of the highest three picks subsequent June.
The 2026 NBA Draft class appears to be like completely loaded on the prime. AJ Dybantsa is a 6’9″ athletic marvel as a scoring wing. Cam Boozer is a double-double machine as the trendy model of a two-way energy ahead. Darryn Peterson is the favourite to go No. 1 as a 6’5″ do-literally-everything guard. Even when the picks slip down a number of slots, names like Nate Ament, Caleb Wilson and Mikel Brown Jr. appear to be future stars as effectively.
The Pelicans might have had two elite prospects to fully remodel their franchise. The considered AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer on one crew looks as if a whimsical dream, however it was so near a actuality for New Orleans. As an alternative, the franchise has failed its followers as soon as once more, they usually must watch because the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers draft top-tier expertise that might have been theirs.
It is the kind of bitter begin to a tenure that by no means goes away. Dumars and Weaver have already outlined their tenure in New Orleans. Their funeral would be the 2026 NBA Draft.
