It has become a very bleak time to become a New Orleans Pelicans fan. Many would’ve assumed that when they drafted Zion Williamson in 2019, by now they would be a powerhouse in the Western Conference. Instead, they have the worst record in the West. This terrible start to the season has Rachel Nichols questioning whether New Orleans will remain the home of the Pelicans.
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A 2-6 record to start the season is undesirable for most teams. However, in many cases, a poor start could lead to a high draft pick. Even if the Pelicans land a favorable spot in the 2026 NBA Draft, they won’t even be able to take advantage of it.
The Pelicans traded a protected 2026 first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for the #23 pick in the 2025 Draft, which led to them selecting Derik Queen. Of course, in a few years, we may look at this trade as a huge win. But that is contingent on Queen fulfilling his potential.
The trade took place during the 2025 Finals, which made it look like a safe bet to the Pelicans. However, Tyrese Haliburton’s injury, and then the Pacers’ rough start to the year means that Pacers might be the ones who might end up with a lottery pick.
Regardless, a potential top-three pick is much more valuable considering this upcoming crop of talent is among the best in recent years. To make things worse, Zion Williamson is out once again with an injury.
All of these things have left a sour taste in Rachel Nichols and Chris Mannix’s mouths. Mannix didn’t hold back on what Zion’s injury means for the Pelicans.
“This is just the cherry on top in what has been an absolute debacle of a season for the Pelicans,” Mannix said on Open Floor. “Just when you thought they had hit rock bottom, they find a new level to go.”
Even though none of the Pelicans’ decisions make sense, one could convince oneself of their mindset if there were some consistency. For example, if Queen was this potential star in the making, the best way to develop that is to put him in the starting lineup. Instead, the rookie is only playing 18.6 minutes per game and hasn’t started once.
“It just looks like even more insanity than it did when you and I discussed it at the time,” Nichols proclaimed.
The situation is so bad that Nichols is struggling to find a redeeming quality. Instead, her mind fixates on the Pelicans’ home, the Smoothie King Center. The lease is ending soon, which opens up the door to the Pelicans’ worst-case scenario.
“We have talked about expansion, looks like it’s on hold for all the reasons, and maybe we are talking more about relocation. The Smoothie King Center lease is up [in 2029]. I think this could be one of those things where we end up seeing a team relocate,” Nichols said.
Nichols’ comments aren’t as outlandish as they seem. Losing and failing to generate money is a recipe for disaster. If worst comes to worst, the owners could look into selling the team.
Of course, this is a bit of a long shot, but very well possible. In the meantime, the Pelicans have a few strategies to bring in more optimism regarding the team’s future.
The first would start with firing Willie Green. It’s clear he has lost the locker room. However, adding a new coach won’t suddenly fix the holes on their roster. If Williamson remains unable to stay on the court, the next major move would be to part ways with the former 2018 top overall pick.
Acquiring draft capital for Williamson could shine more light at the end of the tunnel. It won’t solve all of the Pelicans’ problems, but it could very well point the franchise in the right direction.
