Pelicans Must Make Difficult but Necessary Herb Jones Decision

The New Orleans Pelicans won two straight games to improve to 2-6 for the season, but their road to relevance is still rocky. Zion Williamson is already missing games, and the Pelicans don't look ready to compete in the stacked Western Conference. With Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen looking like bright spots early on, the Pelicans would be wise to build around their two rookies rather than hopelessly chase a Play-In spot.

This means that the Pels need to have their future in mind when they are making moves. That sounds contrary to the disastrous Draft Day trade of giving up your unprotected 2026 first-round pick for the 13th-overall pick that became Queen, but that is now behind us. New Orleans can't be tethered to that mistake when making future decisions.

Pelicans Must Consider Selling High on Herb Jones

Accumulating assets and gaining flexibility should be at the forefront of the Pelicans' decision-making. This requires a few difficult decisions, including selling high on Herb Jones.

Jones is off to a solid start to the season after missing most of 2024-25 with a shoulder injury. He is currently shooting over 45% from three on a career-high 4.1 threes per game. While the volume is still not where it needs to be for a perimeter player, it's a big improvement from where Jones was earlier in his career. He also continues to be one of the most versatile and best defensive players in the league. He can guard multiple positions, is a good help defender, and gets steals and blocks.

A 27-year-old wing with that profile is a very valuable player in the NBA. Unfortunately, his skill set is currently wasted on a team that is not going anywhere. Players like Jones are much more valuable to contenders than lottery teams. He could be the missing three-and-D piece for a team trying to make a championship run.

Now that Jones is healthy and shooting well, the Pelicans could get a massive haul back for him in a trade. The fifth-year player only makes $13.9 million for this season and is under contract for three more seasons after this. His salary jumps to $20.8 million for the 2027-28 season, but with the rising salary cap, Jones should be worth that when he is 29.

The Pelicans could get multiple first-round picks and a young player of intrigue in a Jones trade. His value may never be higher, and instead of risking lowering it after potentially another lost season in New Orleans, Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver need to strike while the iron is hot.