The New Orleans Pelicans‘ hopes for a competitive season were dashed within the first month of the season as a series of injuries sidelined the team’s stars. Now, they’re 7-31 with the worst record in the NBA and headed to the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
This season might be the shake-up the Pelicans need, as they’ve gone from having one of the brightest futures in the NBA to stagnating to the point of no return. Multiple players on their roster are generating trade interest as this season is going to be one for tanking ahead of a stacked Draft class.
Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and more have all had their names swirling around the trade market as potential targets. Here’s the latest about all Pelicans trade rumors ahead of the February 6 deadline.
Zion Williamson Expected To Stay
Zion Williamson’s career-long injury problem didn’t pause for the 2024-25 season, as Zion injured his hamstring six games into the season. He recently returned to the court and looked as excellent as ever, but many people are rightfully wondering if the Pelicans will continue being patient with his injury-proneness, with his name coming up in potential trade talks.
Brian Windhorst recently squashed any potential trade speculation on Zion by indicating the Pelicans aren’t actively shopping him but would listen to ‘great’ offers for the 25-year-old star.
“There’s no sense of that. I think the Pelicans would listen to a great offer. There’s no reason to make a great offer, the guy can’t stay on the court. Frankly, that’s what the Pelicans want: they want him on the court.”
Zion commented on trade speculation around him after his recent return to the court.
“At the end of the day, control the things you can control and accept the things you can’t. As a professional, the only thing I can do is come to work every day, work hard and have fun. At the end of the day, I feel like, ‘We get to play basketball for a living.’ I love hooping.”
With no teams seeming to express official interest in Zion, who’s contracted till 2028, it doesn’t look like the franchise cornerstone will be traded this season. He’s averaging 22.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season.
Brandon Ingram Might Be In His Final Year With The Pelicans
The Pelicans’ current rebuild started in 2019 when they traded franchise piece Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for a massive return, with Brandon Ingram as the centerpiece. Ingram is the only remaining asset in New Orleans from that trade, becoming a one-time All-Star on the Pelicans.
With him on a $36.0 million expiring contract, it seems his time in New Orleans is set to end as the parties can’t agree on a contract extension. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks have confirmed the team is actively trying to trade Ingram before the February 6 trade deadline.
“Right now, the Pelicans, whose playoff hopes have been destroyed by a series of injuries to the rotation, are focused on moving one of Williamson’s teammates ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Finding a trade for injured forward Brandon Ingram, a one-time All-Star in a contract year whose extension talks have repeatedly fizzled, is the priority for the Pelicans’ front office, sources told ESPN.”
There’s no official word on whether the Pelicans would reconsider giving Ingram the maximum contract extension he’s looking for, so a departure seems likely. Instead of losing Ingram for nothing in free agency, the franchise will be incentivized to maximize his value by moving off him this season for future assets.
Teams like the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets have official interest in Ingram, but lots of teams could bring themselves to take a half-season flier on Ingram if the price is low enough. He’s averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season and is currently injured.
CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, And More
The Pelicans have more win-now stars on their roster, primarily 33-year-old guard CJ McCollum. McCollum has averaged 21.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in New Orleans since joining the franchise in 2021, but his value seems questionable after the team acquired Dejounte Murray in the summer. With the team tanking this season, Brett Seigel reported that the Pelicans could trade the veteran guard.
“The Pelicans have expressed a level of openness with teams around the league to discuss McCollum’s future, sources said. The veteran guard is making $33.3 million this season and sees his contract value decrease by about $2.67 million next season. Whether or not a market exists for the 33-year-old is an unknown leading up to the trade deadline.”
McCollum is unfazed by the rumors around him, claiming he’s used to them.
“I mean, I’ve been here, this is year 12 right? I’ve been in trade rumors since my third year in the league. After my third year, Bill Simmons had me getting traded every week somewhere,” said McCollum. “So I understand what comes with that.
It doesn’t look like the Pelicans want to trade All-Defensive First-Team selection Herb Jones. They reportedly want to build the franchise around him and Trey Murphy III. However, teams like the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly very interested in acquiring Jones and aggressively pushing for the same.
Dejounte Murray joined the franchise this summer, but it doesn’t look like the team is rushing to move off him by acquiring him for win-now reasons in the summer. Murray is contracted till 2028, so he might be the right guard for the team next season if they hope to return to contention.
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