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Pelicans Forecasted Poor Future Outlook In Recent NBA Rankings
Feb 25, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts to a play against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Pelicans Forecasted Poor Future Outlook In Recent NBA Rankings

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Liam Willerup  |  Last updated Sep 17, 2025 5:44 PM ET

The New Orleans Pelicans are set to begin their 24th season as an NBA franchise on October 22nd when they travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies. Coming off a 2024-25 season campaign where they finished 21-61, the Pelicans will feel the pressure to turn things around with a new front office in place and a head coach trying to hold onto his job.

Looking at the Pelicans' roster, they have about 66% of their salary cap next season tied up into three players: Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, and Dejounte Murray. Williamson and Murray both spent the majority of last season on the sidelines, while Poole was recently acquired from the Washington Wizards.

While health might be the biggest issue with this Pelicans roster, a recent ranking by ESPN insiders has New Orleans near the bottom of the league in terms of its future outlook, with several aspects of the franchise posing areas of concern.

Pelicans Just Shy Of League's Worst Future Ranking

Coming in at 29th, just ahead of the Phoenix Suns, ESPN insiders Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, and Tim Bontemps see some major concerns around the Pelicans looking ahead to the next three seasons.

"It has been an eventful summer in New Orleans, where David Griffin was let go after running the team for several years and was replaced by Hall of Famer Joe Dumars," Bontemps wrote. "The Pelicans then made a massive draft night swing by taking not only Jeremiah Fears seventh overall, but trading an unprotected swap in next year's draft to Atlanta to take Derik Queen 13th."

The Pelicans were sitting pretty entering the 2025 NBA Draft with their future capital, especially with their control over the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round picks in both 2026 and 2027. However, the front office made a shocking move to trade away their rights to the Bucks' pick in 2026, packaged with the unprotected rights to their own 2026 first.

"That move could have ramifications for both teams for years to come," Bontemps continued. "As a result, New Orleans has its lowest landing spot in 16 years of these rankings."

In addition to the written snippet, ESPN ranked the Pelicans 24th in roster, 28th in market, and 29th in management, with their best ranking being 15th in money/cap space.

Of course, as is the case with any ranking, there is a possibility that the Pelicans are able to prove these analysts wrong and become a winning franchise. However, there are reasons to be concerned about the Pelicans' management, given the track record of both Troy Weaver and Joe Dumars.

According to ESPN Bet, the Pelicans' win total projection is set to O/U 30.5 wins, with only the Utah Jazz ranking lower in the Western Conference.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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