The Pelicans’ 2026 Offseason: Why It Makes No Sense

Fears averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 43.4% from the floor. Queen averaged 11.7 PPG on 47.3% from the field, 79.5% from the free-throw line, and 26.1% from the three-point line. The potential is certainly there with both of them, as Queen has shown to be a great playmaker for his size and Fears has shown to be a crafty, shot-creating guard. New Orleans must continue to give them the reps they need to develop into the players they can become, especially after the Pelicans’ 2026 offseason.

New Orleans holds the right to swap and will receive whichever pick is more favorable between their own and the Milwaukee Bucks. The less favorable pick headed to the Atlanta Hawks is top-four protected; if it lands in the top four, the commitment is lifted, and the Pelicans keep both picks.

There are still a couple of months until the season starts, so they have plenty of opportunities to upgrade the roster through trades, which they have been linked to with many teams. As of right now, the Pelicans’ 2026 offseason has been a major letdown. One player specifically in a lot of rumors has been Trey Murphy, as his two-way play is valued by teams across the league, and the best part is he’s on a great, four-year deal, worth $112 million. 

New Orleans would love to get off the Zion Williamson contract, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy enough to show his worth to make another team want to trade for him. He’s currently on a five-year, $197 million deal, which doesn’t seem too bad because when he’s on the court. Williamson is deserving of the deal, with career averages of 23.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4.1 APG. It’s always a question whether he will be on the floor to show his talent. His teammate, Dejounte Murray, has gone through the same problem over the past year, healing from a torn Achilles. 

End Of My Pelicans’ 2026 Offseason Rant

There isn’t much hope for New Orleans when it’s gone 26-56 and 21-61 the past two seasons, and still hasn’t made any significant changes to the roster, which is another reason why the Pelicans’ 2026 offseason is confusing. The front office has to do something about this, as New Orleans fans don’t deserve another year playing meaningless basketball. Their best bet is to hope that players get healthy and finally find a rhythm to playing with one another, as they haven’t had much of a chance to do so. As of now, it looks like the 2026-27 season won’t be any different from the past two seasons, and that’s not what they play this game for.