{"id":81194,"date":"2024-06-17T14:06:46","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T18:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=81194"},"modified":"2024-06-17T14:06:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T18:06:46","slug":"2024-nba-offseason-preview-whats-next-for-the-pelicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/17\/2024-nba-offseason-preview-whats-next-for-the-pelicans\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 NBA Offseason Preview: What’s Next For The Pelicans?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pelicans have a crucial offseason ahead of them. After five seasons of being led by Zion Williamson<\/a> and Brandon Ingram,<\/a> the Pelicans may look to shake things up this summer. This will likely be more of a roster reset than a full rebuild. The Pelicans have several avenues to change up the roster while remaining competitive. Let’s dive into the Pelicans offseason and some exciting potential moves.<\/p>\n

2024 NBA Offseason Preview: What’s Next For The Pelicans?<\/h2>\n

Season Recap\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Pelicans had an encouraging season in which they returned to the playoffs. New Orleans finished as the eighth seed with a 49-33 record. However, they spent much of the season as the five seed<\/a>. The Pelicans got off to a hot start early in the season, they went to the semi-finals of the inaugural In-Season tournament before ultimately losing to the Lakers.\u00a0 Zion played 70 games after two injury-riddled seasons. He averaged a productive 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5 assists, on .570\/.333\/.702 shooting splits. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Zion would go down with an untimely injury in their first game of the play-in tournament against the Lakers. The Pelicans beat the Kings to get into the playoffs but the injury would keep Zion sidelined for the series. Ultimately, the Pelicans were swept against the top-seeded Thunder. In a series where Brandon Ingram<\/a> notably struggled averaging<\/a> 14 points while shooting 34.5 percent from the field. Putting Ingram\u2019s future with the franchise in serious doubt.\u00a0 Despite Zion\u2019s injury history, his talent is undeniable and all signs point to the Pelicans further committing to building around him<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Projected Cap Space and Draft Picks\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Over the Cap<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Pelicans are in a projected 58 million dollar cap deficit. However, they are just outside of the first apron tax penalty. Notably, the Pelicans have never paid the luxury tax<\/a> in their 20-plus-year franchise history. Many suggest the Pelicans may make further efforts to get under the luxury tax. This makes sense as it’s not worth over-investing in a roster that hasn’t seen any substantial success. In terms of spending power, the Pelicans will have a full mid-level exception<\/a> of 12.9 million dollars. Giving them a path to upgrade their roster in a meaningful way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

21st Overall Pick<\/span><\/h3>\n

Primary Targets\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n