4 players Pelicans must trade after train-wreck season

It is definitely telling of the state of the Pelicans’ roster that only three players qualify as untouchable. There has been so much interest in the Pelicans’ players due to how disproportionate the number of talented players they have compared to the number of wins they were able to rack up this past season, but only Queen, Fears, and Murphy have to be safe — at least for next season.

Queen and Fears are some of the easiest players to list on any untouchable list, ever. The new Pelicans front office regime definitely staked its reputation on these two players, and while there are concerns regarding their viability as the team’s franchise cornerstones, one would think that there is no way they’re pulling the plug on these two — especially when they gave a kidney and a lung just so they could bring Queen in.

The Pelicans view Queen as someone with Nikola Jokic-level potential, and while the jury is still out on that one, one has to remember that Jokic didn’t exactly look like he’d be one of the greatest players of all-time when his career began.

It is a bit concerning that Queen is ground-bound on defense and it’s not likely for the Pelicans to build a top-tier defense with him on the roster. But he flashed excellent all-around game as a rookie; he is a player who profiles as someone the team can build the offense around. A two-man game featuring him and Fears should be the heartbeat of this New Orleans team moving forward.

Fears has certainly shown himself to be quite the fearless player, getting into opponents’ grill and being unfazed in the face of physicality. And he averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals as a rookie; rookie guards tend to struggle, and Fears had a much better season for a rookie floor general than many expected.

The last untouchable is Murphy; despite commanding so much interest on the trade market, the Pelicans, outside of a godfather offer, have to know that they have one of the best rising stars in the NBA under contract for three more seasons at quite the affordable rate (an average of $29 million over the next three campaigns).

Keeping Murphy in hopes of having him stick around until the Pelicans become good again could be worthwhile.

New Orleans has to think hard about whether to keep or trade these players

Up in the air: Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Yves Missi, Micah Peavy, Karlo Matkovic

Murray returned from injury this past season and was very impressive. He averaged 16/5/6 with nearly two steals per game and had a few stretches there where it didn’t look like he was coming off a long hiatus.

But he’ll theoretically be on the final year of his contract next season, as he has a player option for the 2027-28 campaign, which means that it could be worth checking what he could bring in via trade. Trading him away would also mean handing over the keys to Fears.

Jones is better off playing for a contending team, and the Pelicans aren’t close at all to being one. Unlike Murphy, Jones’ skillset does not scale up or down depending on the team’s contending state.

He is on an affordable contract as well (around $58 million for the next three seasons), but one contender has to be salivating at the thought of bringing him in via trade. New Orleans, however, has to wait for an offer they simply cannot refuse.

Bey was a revelation for the Pelicans this season, and so was Missi. Bey, however, is in the final year of his contract and could be a sell-high candidate. Missi did get shopped last season, so perhaps New Orleans revisits that.

Peavy and Matkovic are fringe rotation players who are just as likely to get cut as they are to get traded away.

Time for the Pelicans to change direction

Trade candidates: Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Jordan Hawkins

Williamson was mostly healthy throughout the 2025-26 season, suiting up in 62 games. However, the Pelicans forward had the lowest usage rate of his career (25.7 percent) and looked to be more of a passenger on his own team than ever.

It’s clear that he and Queen don’t fit quite well together, which is troubling, seeing as the Pelicans have committed so many resources to making Queen the cornerstone piece of their rebuild.

Williamson being healthy also opens up the window for the Pelicans to shop him and perhaps find a taker for the final two years of his contract worth a total of around $87 million, which could be useful considering how New Orleans seems to be building a roster for the post-Zion era anyway.

Poole was a bust of an acquisition for the Pelicans. Acquired in exchange for CJ McCollum, Poole struggled mightily in his first season with New Orleans to the point of losing his spot in the rotation. He shot just 37.2 percent from the field and the eye test does not lie — he played in a way that seemed out of the team’s offensive rhythm.

He is in the final year of his contract, making $34 million. Him being on an expiring contract means that he could be that much easier to trade, as no serious team would want to take on him and his huge contract if it ran for more than a year considering how poorly he played for most of the 2025-26 season.

The Pelicans have found no such luck with their acquisitions of former Golden State Warriors, as Looney played in just 21 games despite signing a two-year, $16 million contract with the team. The good news is that his contract for next year is not guaranteed, as New Orleans holds a team option.

But there is a chance New Orleans can package Poole and Looney’s expiring contracts together to absorb a bad contract from another team to get draft assets in exchange.

Last but not the least, Hawkins, who has seen his stock dip over the years, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He’s clearly out of favor in New Orleans, and him being on the last year of his deal might give the team the sense of urgency to find him a new home.