With big news from Zion Williamson‘s camp, the New Orleans Pelicans offseason is experiencing a major boost in team and fanbase morale. The often-injured power forward has had quite the summer, as has newly acquired Dejounte Murray. Will the Pelicans keep Brandon Ingram? Or is a trade still in the future? The Pelicans have a formidable roster as constructed, but it will be up to Zion to determine how far they will go this season.
New Orleans Pelicans Offseason: A Review To Date
Zion Uses Pelicans Offseason to Reinvent His Body
A large splash could be heard off the port of New Orleans this offseason as the Pelicans took a chance in acquiring former Atlanta Hawks two-way guard Dejounte Murray. But that’s not the ultimate of-season change for the Pelicans. After struggling with physical conditioning, health, and injuries since entering the NBA from Duke, Zion Williamson will reportedly enter the upcoming basketball campaign in the best physical shape and condition he’s ever been in. This development has to be welcoming news for the Pelicans organization, the highlight of their offseason. Perpetually riddled with injury due to his conditioning, Williamson looks ready to start over his career, leading to an entirely different version of the bruising power forward.
With Murray joining the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram’s name was a hot topic in the trade winds throughout the summer. Would he move, or would he stay? New Orleans certainly entertained the idea. At this time, though, the highly gifted 2016-17 All-Rookie player is still a Pelican.
Due to the Murray acquisition, New Orleans lost some depth in the trade-off. However, adding someone with Murray’s offensively gifted talents might be worth it.
Key Player Departures
The Pelicans sent back Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and Dyson Daniels in said trade with Atlanta. Of the three, Daniels was the biggest loss due to his upside and the fact that he had played well for the Pelicans in his first two years in the NBA. The other significant loss was center Jonas Valanciunas who signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards. Losing the big man resulted in New Orleans being thin at the center position, a factor that isn’t a concern for GM David Griffin, apparently.
Other Pelicans offseason departures included E.J. Lidell, Matt Ryan, and Naji Marshall who signed with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent.
Key Player Acquisitions
Acquiring Dejounte Murray, as mentioned above, was by far the Pelicans’ loudest and best addition this offseason. Making it work between him and Ingram will be the challenge. Murray and Trae Young came up short in that department. The Pelicans hope their version of a star pair-up story will produce different results. In light of New Orleans’s center position issues, the team did sign Daniel Theis this offseason. While not a true center, Theis does provide the team with some relief behind Williamson.
New Orleans also drafted No. 21 former Baylor center Yves Missi in the first round. His college career showed tremendous upside; however, how NBA-ready he is remains a question mark. Suppose Missi is not ready to contribute meaningful minutes. In that case, the Pelicans must address the center position by the February trade deadline. Assuming the team is in contention for the playoffs, which is highly probable given their present roster, it would be a wise move on David Griffin’s part.
Impressive Lineup Features Multiple Options
Likely, Brandon Ingram won’t get traded this summer, considering where we are in the offseason timeline. If that’s the case, the Pelicans will roll into the 2024-25 NBA season with a starting lineup showcasing Williamson, Ingram, Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, or Trey Murphy III. For the most part, the roster is solid, minus the center position. Considering Williamson showed last season that even when he is not so great of a shape, he is a force to be reckoned with, and teams in the West shouldn’t overlook the Pelicans, especially now that Williamson is where he is physically.
The Pelicans started off last season well but tailed off as the year progressed. If New Orleans can avoid injuries to their star players, the Pelicans may be one of the teams vying for a top seed and not settling for the play-in tournament.
