The Western Conference is expected to be a dogfight in the 2025/26 season, with nearly every team making major improvements or already boasting rosters capable of contending for the postseason. One team that seems to have fallen behind the pack is the New Orleans Pelicans, a squad that shouldn’t have expectations that are too high.
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The Pelicans’ 2024/25 campaign was a huge disappointment. At the start, they had Dejounte Murray — brought in to address their point guard issues — alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. But injuries soon took their toll, with Williamson playing just 30 games and Ingram being traded to the Toronto Raptors after only 18. Murray, too, fractured his hand and then tore his Achilles tendon in January, effectively ending any hopes the Pelicans had of a decent season. They finished with a 21-61 record, their worst since 2012.
ESPN insiders Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Tim Bontemps recently discussed what to expect from the Pelicans this coming season during a segment. Sadly for anyone still holding onto a shred of optimism, they all agree that this season could be even worse than last year.
One of the most confusing moves the Pelicans made was sending an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Derik Queen. “At best, we’re projecting a top five pick going from the Pelicans to the Hawks in the Derik Queen draft night trade,” Bontemps said on The Hoop Collective. That’s not what any fan base wants to hear, especially with some dynamic prospects expected in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Pelicans’ recent moves were even more puzzling. They traded for Jordan Poole after using the seventh overall pick to draft Jeremiah Fears. MacMahon didn’t just echo Bontemps’ confusion, he offered a brutally honest assessment of the team.
“I think that the Pelicans are going to be the worst thing you can be in the NBA,” McMahon opined. “And that’s a bad team that doesn’t benefit from being bad.”
In most cases, a team like the Washington Wizards will bottom out because they have valuable draft capital. But even though the Wizards didn’t land a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they positioned themselves well to potentially secure one in the future.
Assuming the Pelicans have another rough year — which seems likely — the Hawks stand to benefit from a high lottery pick. The present and future of this team now depend solely on the availability of Williamson.
“Joe Dumars came out when he got the job and said we’re bringing Zion back. There’s no drama with it,” McMahon continued. Even if the Pelicans wanted to offload Zion, now would be the worst possible time. “He has no value right now. They might as well see if they can turn it around with him.”
Hopefully, that turnaround happens soon, or else the Pelicans could find themselves in no man’s land for some time.
