New Orleans Pelicans Rumors

Pelicans Assistant Dan Geriot Named Iona’s Head Coach

March 20th, 2025 at 1:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans assistant Dan Geriot has officially been hired as the new men’s head coach at Iona University, the school announced in a press release.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported earlier this week (via Twitter) that Geriot was expected to replace Tobin Anderson, who was fired on Monday after two seasons with the Gaels.

“I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to work,” Geriot said. “Iona has a strong basketball tradition and history of success, and I look forward to being part of it. Our goal is to build a team that plays hard, competes at the highest level, and makes our fans proud. I can’t wait to get started.”

The 36-year-old played four seasons of college basketball at Richmond and one professional season in Belgium prior to transitioning to coaching. He was an assistant at Princeton and Campbell University before he got his first NBA job with Cleveland back in 2015.

Geriot steadily worked his way up the ranks over the course of nine years with the Cavaliers, eventually becoming an assistant under J.B. Bickerstaff. When Bickerstaff was fired last summer, Geriot was hired by New Orleans as a front-bench assistant under Willie Green.

Geriot is the third veteran NBA assistant to land an NCAA head coaching job this month, joining Alex Jensen (Utah) and Luke Loucks (Florida State). All three played college basketball — Jensen and Loucks were hired by their alma maters.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Davis, Castle, Morant, Aldama, Thompson

March 19th, 2025 at 6:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

In a season that’s been filled with bad nights for the Pelicans, Monday may have been the worst, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans tied a record for the largest margin of defeat in franchise history, falling to Detroit by 46 points, and lost Trey Murphy early in the game with a shoulder injury that could affect his availability for training camp.

New Orleans trailed by 23 points after the first quarter and 31 points at halftime as the home crowd loudly booed the poor effort. It was the fifth loss of the season by at least 30 points, according to Walker.

Coach Willie Green called his players “soft” after the game and said they “looked like a team that forgot how to play basketball.” He also stressed the importance of continuing to compete, even though the Pelicans have been eliminated from the playoff race.

“I think the start of the game with Trey going down, it kinda rocked us from there,” Green said. “We didn’t have a rhythm offensively and we kinda felt sorry for ourselves a bit. You can’t do that. But it shook our guys up, especially with all we’ve been through this season.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks were encouraged by Anthony Davis‘ first practice session with their G League affiliate, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. However, coach Jason Kidd cautioned that Davis still has a long way to go in his recovery from a left adductor strain. “He’s trending in the right place,” Kidd said. “He had a positive experience in the practice. He’ll continue to do things this week. Hopefully the outcome continues to be positive. A lot of good things, but he’s still some time away for him being in a game.”
The Spurs have been impressed by Stephon Castle‘s ability to handle the challenges of his rookie season, per Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. The fourth overall pick has experienced the typical ups and downs that most rookies face, but he has managed to stay focused on developing his overall game while playing elite-level defense. “There are definitely All-Defensive awards in his future,” teammate Harrison Barnes said. “It’s just with his ability to guard one through four. And he’s strong. There’s still years before he’s going to fill out his body and be the type of player that he is going to become. But I think that he shows a great aptitude to defend at a very high level.”
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss his third straight game tonight due to left hamstring soreness, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). Santi Aldama has been upgraded to questionable after missing seven of the last eight games with a strained right calf.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Amen Thompson was able to participate in contact drills on Tuesday as he attempts to return from a sprained left ankle (Twitter link from Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). It still hasn’t been decided whether Thompson will play Friday at Miami.

Impact Of Pelicans’ Injury Woes Could Carry Over To 2025/26

March 19th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Health issues derailed the Pelicans‘ 2024/25 season almost before it began. Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson weren’t available when the season tipped off, top offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray broke his hand on opening night, and it only got worse from there, with injuries eventually affecting virtually every starter and rotation player on the roster.

Through 69 games, only one player – rookie Yves Missi – has made more than 53 total appearances for the Pelicans (Missi has made 64).

New Orleans’ division rivals in Memphis are proving that a would-be contender devastated by injuries in one season can get back on track with better health luck the following year. After winning 50+ plus games in back-to-back seasons, the Grizzlies were hit hard by injuries in 2023/24 and won just 27 games. This year, they’re on pace to exceed 50 wins again.

A bounce-back season in 2025/26 is obviously the hope in New Orleans, where the club appeared to be on the rise after winning 49 games in 2023/24. But there’s a chance that the team’s injury woes this year will have an impact on the ’25/26 team, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

In fact, that’s a near certainty in the case of Murray, who tore his Achilles tendon in late January. The expectation is that the veteran guard will miss time to open next season — Guillory hears from team sources that Murray may not be back on the floor until sometime after the calendar turns to 2026.

According to Guillory, there have also been some “rumblings” about the possibility that forward Herbert Jones, who underwent shoulder surgery last month, won’t be ready for the start of the 2025/26 campaign. That’s still to be determined. Jones’ return date will depend on how his rehab progresses this offseason, Guillory writes.

The Pelicans announced this week that Murphy has suffered a season-ending shoulder injury of his own. He was diagnosed with a torn labrum and a partial tear of the rotator cuff.

Murphy’s recovery timeline remains unclear and figures to hinge on how severe his injury is determined to be and whether or not it requires surgery, says Guillory. It’s not a lock that the fourth-year wing will be back to 100% by training camp.

The Pelicans still “strongly believe” in their core of Williamson, Murray, Murphy, and Jones, according to Guillory, but even if the front office keeps that group together through the summer, it may be quite a while before that quartet is on the court together.

Pelicans’ Murphy To Miss Rest Of Season With Shoulder Injury

March 18th, 2025 at 6:54am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans wing Trey Murphy has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and partial tear of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder, the team announced late on Monday night (via Twitter). Murphy underwent an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.

The injury occurred less than one minute into Monday’s blowout loss to Detroit. Murphy had a pass knocked away by Pistons wing Ausar Thompson on the Pelicans’ opening possession and dove on the floor trying to corral the loose ball (video link). He stayed down in obvious pain, grabbing at his shoulder, which was dislocated on the play, per the club.

Murphy will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season as a result of the injury.

The Pelicans are well out of postseason contention at this point, so Murphy’s absence for the final few weeks of the season won’t compromise their ability to contend. Still, it’s the latest setback in what has been a brutal, injury-plagued year for the franchise.

Virtually all of New Orleans’ key players missed significant time as a result of some sort of health issue this season, with Murphy the third starter to suffer a season-ending injury — Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles tendon in late January, while Herbert Jones underwent surgery in February to address a shoulder injury similar to Murphy’s.

The Pelicans didn’t offer any additional updates on Murphy’s treatment plan or recovery timeline, so it’s unclear if and when he’ll undergo surgery and how much time it might take him to get back to 100%. The club stated that further updates will be shared as appropriate.

Although it has been a forgettable season in New Orleans, it was a career year statistically for Murphy, who increased his scoring average to 21.1 points per game while also setting career highs in rebounds (5.1) and assists (3.5) per game. The fourth-year swingman started 51 of the 53 games he played in ’24/25, posting a shooting line of .454/.361/.887.

Murphy signed a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension with the Pelicans last offseason. That contract will go into effect for the 2025/26 league year.

Williamson Would Draw ‘Significant Interest’ On Trade Market

March 16th, 2025 at 9:12am CST by Rory Maher

On the latest episode of the Hoops Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps briefly discussed the impressive play and potential trade value of Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.

Since January 7, when he returned from a hamstring strain that sidelined him for two months, the former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 59.5% from the field and 64.3% from the foul line in 22 appearances.

However, Williamson has also missed 10 games over that span and has only averaged 27.8 minutes per contest. Some of that is by design to try and keep him healthy (minutes restriction, no back-to-backs), but New Orleans also hasn’t been competitive for much of the season.

The Pelicans are just 18-50 overall and 9-19 when Williamson plays. The team has a minus-1.1 net rating when he’s on the court and is a ghastly minus-10.0 when he’s not.

“I remember Bobby [Marks] and I wrote a story just as he was about to come back and kind of like, ‘What’s coming with Zion?’” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “What the trade value and market might be for him.

“Somebody told us then the goal is to ramp him up and restore his value, whether that’s for the Pelicans or another team. And he’s handling the first part, to his credit, he is absolutely handling the first part.”

A rival GM recently expressed skepticism to Windhorst about Williamson’s possible trade value and whether or not the Pelicans would consider moving him, suggesting the team might wait until next season to see if he can continue to stay on the court.

“I still don’t know how much they can actually get for him based on his injury history,” Windhorst replied.

“There’s some teams that would have significant interest,” said MacMahon.

Western Notes: Wolves, Mavs, Missi, Zion, Thunder

March 15th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After flirting with .500 for most of the first half of the season as they got accustomed to their new-look roster, the Timberwolves are 17-8 in their past 25 games and have won seven in a row. The Wolves won’t match their 56-win total from last season, but they’re pushing hard for a top-six spot in the Western Conference, which would guarantee them a place in the playoffs.

Following the blockbuster fall trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota, there was an adjustment period for the newcomers. DiVincenzo, in particular, struggled in the early part of the season, averaging 8.3 points per game on 35.3% shooting in his first 25 games. Since then, he’s putting up 15.1 PPG on 46.6% shooting.

Randle also took some time to get used to playing alongside center Rudy Gobert, but that duo has gotten more and more comfortable together. The Wolves have won the last 12 games in which Randle has been active and were just 5-8 last month when he missed time with a groin strain.

“We came a long way in our chemistry,” Gobert said after Wednesday’s victory in Denver, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “I would say it really starts with Ant (Anthony Edwards) and Julius. The way they’ve been playing and the way they’ve been making the right play for the teammates has been having a tremendous impact for us.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

NBA teams are required to have at least eight healthy players suit up for each game. The Mavericks, who can’t currently sign a player due to their proximity to the hard cap, are flirting with that cut-off and are at risk of falling below the minimum threshold with two-way players Kessler Edwards and Brandon Williams nearing their active-game limits. Bobby Marks of ESPN (YouTube link) explores what would happen if the Mavs don’t have eight healthy players on hand, suggesting that the club would likely have to violate the league’s injury-reporting rules by listing an injured player as available in order to meet the required minimum and avoid a forfeit.
The Pelicans will be missing a pair of frontcourt starters on Saturday night in San Antonio. Forward Zion Williamson is unavailable for personal reasons, while center Yves Missi will sit for a second straight game due to a left ankle sprain, per the team (Twitter link).
What do the Pelicans have to left to play for as they enter the home stretch of a disappointing season? Rod Walker of NOLA.com spoke to head coach Willie Green and a few New Orleans players about that topic. “It’s different for every player,” big man Kelly Olynyk said. “Obviously for the young guys, you want to get out here and get experience and show the organization, the franchise and the rest of the league what you can do. For an older player, you just continue to build and grow chemistry. For me, it’s trying to build inside this system and get some chemistry and cohesiveness with these guys heading into next year.”
The Thunder‘s win in Boston on Wednesday was “a window into the versatility that makes (them) so unstoppable,” according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, who says Oklahoma City continues to convincingly answer every question asked about the team’s legitimacy as a title contender.

Brown Trying To Turn The Corner

March 15th, 2025 at 9:42am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran swingman Bruce Brown has struggled mightily since he was traded to the Pelicans ahead of last month’s deadline, but he had a solid performance in Tuesday’s victory over the Clippers, notching 12 points, five rebounds and five assists (no turnovers). “It was good,” Brown said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “As you all know, I’ve been struggling with the transition. So for my confidence, this helps a lot. Still, I’m learning. I’ve got to keep going. Being aggressive and making my shots. I think that’s the biggest key for me — making my shots and continuing to put my work in.” Brown, who will be an unrestricted free agent in a few months, is shooting just 32.4% from the floor in 12 games with New Orleans, including 16.7% from long distance.
Due to the shocking trade of Luka Doncic and the ensuing tidal wave of injuries, most notably losing Kyrie Irving to a torn ACL, the Mavericks hold the top spot on Zach Harper of The Athletic‘s “Misery Index.” The injury-ravaged Pelicans also make an appearance, coming in at fourth on the five-team list.

Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Nets, Sixers, Zion, Wizards, Raptors

March 14th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets project to have significantly more cap room than any other NBA team this offseason — they’re in position to open up more than $60MM in space. However, they’re unlikely to take the same approach as last year’s top cap-room team, Philadelphia, which spent big on win-now free agents.

As Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes in an Insider-only article, the Nets signaled when they reacquired control of both their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks that they might require at least a two-year rebuild. Some rival teams believe Brooklyn will end up rolling much of its 2025 cap room over to the 2026 offseason, according to Windhorst.

“They’re going to use it in trade because they’re not going to have anyone to pay in this free agent market,” one executive said of the Nets’ cap space. “They could end up right back in this spot next year.”

Here are a few more items of interest from Windhorst and his ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps:

While the hope in Philadelphia is that better health luck next season will result in a bounce-back year for the Sixers, there’s still no update on what the treatment plan for Joel Embiid is and no assurances that he’ll be back to 100% in 2025/26, as Windhorst and Bontemps note. “Until they know what is happening with Embiid, there is no way to project what they will be next year,” a league executive told ESPN. “They will have a hard time changing that roster.”
The Pelicans are just 9-19 in games that Zion Williamson has played this season and project to have an expensive roster next season, so even though Williamson has been healthy and performed well as of late, rivals continue to wonder if he’ll end up on the trade block, Windhorst writes. “The question about the Pelicans is whether they would consider trading Zion,” a rival general manager told ESPN. “It hasn’t really been an option over the last couple of years because he’s been injured, and his value hasn’t been high enough. Even now, I don’t think they could get great value. So they will probably see if he can carry this play over into next year.”
Multiple executives who spoke to Bontemps lauded the Wizards for their work at the trade deadline, including bringing in veterans like Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart while taking a flier on 2024 first-rounder AJ Johnson. “I like what they are doing,” an executive said. “They’re doing things the right way.” Conversely, there’s some skepticism around the league about the way in which the Raptors – who traded a first-round pick as part of a package for Brandon Ingram – are attempting to accelerate their rebuild, says Bontemps. “I don’t like what Toronto is doing,” one exec told ESPN. “Trying to flip it quick is dangerous.”

Western Notes: Jokic, SGA, Thunder, Zion, Doncic

March 12th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s top two MVP candidates split a pair of games in Oklahoma City on Sunday and Monday, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s Thunder securing a 24-point win in the first game and Nikola Jokic‘s Nuggets responding with a 13-point victory in the second end of the back-to-back.

In between those two contests, according to Fred Katz and Tony Jones of The Athletic, Nuggets coach Michael Malone broached the subject of having Jokic, who is dealing with elbow and ankle injuries, sit out on Monday. The Nuggets center’s reply? “Hell no.”

After Jokic led Denver to a victory on Monday with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists, his coach made the case that the star big man deserves his fourth Most Valuable Player award.

“Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a great player, and if he wins his first MVP, he’s deserving of that,” Malone said. “My thing is this: If you didn’t know that Nikola won three MVPs, and I put Player A and Player B on paper … the guy that was averaging a triple-double, the guy that is top-three in the three major statistical categories, things that no one has ever done, he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10. And if you don’t think so, I think you guys are all bulls—ting.”

Asked by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon if team record should factor into the equation, Malone pointed out that the Nuggets were the No. 1 seed in the West in 2023, the only year of the last four in which Jokic wasn’t named MVP. However, Malone added that he won’t be upset if Gilgeous-Alexander wins the award and that he simply feels the need to advocate for his guy in the midst of another historic season. As for Jokic’s two cents on the MVP race?

“This is my third or fourth year in a row, so I’m really — I don’t know. I cannot control it,” the Nuggets star said of the debate. “Obviously, I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life. So if that’s enough, it’s enough. If not, the guy (Gilgeous-Alexander) deserves it. He’s really amazing.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

The Oklahoma City Council has signed off on the next step toward the Thunder‘s new arena, approving contracts with a pair of construction companies who will partner to build the new venue, according to a a press release. Prairie Surf Studios, which currently occupies the space where the arena will be located, is scheduled to be demolished this spring. After that, the plan is to begin construction on the new building in 2026 and complete it in 2028.
Less than two weeks after recording the first triple-double of his NBA career, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson had another one on Tuesday, racking up 22 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in a win over the Clippers. While New Orleans is well out of this season’s postseason race, Williamson’s excellent all-around play in recent weeks has been an encouraging sign for his development, notes Brett Martel of The Associated Press. “When he’s in high-level conditioning, like he is, he’s really tough to guard and he’s doing it all,” head coach Willie Green said. “He’s rebounding. He’s defending.”
The Lakers got off to a terrific start in the Luka Doncic era, reeling off eight consecutive wins from February 20 to March 6. However, as John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, the underlying numbers suggest it will take some more time for the star guard to build chemistry with his new teammates. Doncic’s shooting numbers as a Laker so far (.399 FG%, .322 3PT%) are well below his usual rates, while his turnover rate (4.2 per game) is up.

Southwest Notes: Tate, Spencer, Morant, Mavs, Zion

March 11th, 2025 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

Jae’Sean Tate only played the final 2:27 of the Rockets‘ win over Orlando on Monday, but it was a big night for the veteran forward. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Tate earned a $500K bonus as a result of Houston’s victory.

Tate’s contract includes language that assures him of that bonus if the Rockets win at least 40 regular season games, and Monday’s win was their 40th of the season. Since Houston finished last season with a 41-41 record, the bonus had been considered “likely” and was already incorporated into Tate’s cap hit, so the fact that he earned it again won’t affect Houston’s cap situation.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Grizzlies rookie Cam Spencer had the best game of his young career on Monday, scoring a season-high 16 points in 20 minutes to help Memphis eke out a win over Phoenix and talking trash to Suns star Kevin Durant along the way, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details.“He’s psycho,” teammate Ja Morant told Grind City Media in his post-game interview. “But I love it though.” Morant added that he planned cover the $2,000 fine that will accompany the technical foul Spencer received following his interaction with Durant.
With just eight healthy players available on Monday, including one (Caleb Martin) on a minutes restriction and none over 6’8″, the Mavericks were still able to pull out a win over San Antonio, pushing their lead over Phoenix for the No. 10 seed in the West back to 2.5 games. “High school, that’s what it feels like sometimes, because we’re so small,” Klay Thompson said, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “But we got a lot of heart. So, heart over height, you know?”
Rod Walker of NOLA.com argues that the Pelicans are doing their fans a disservice by sitting star forward Zion Williamson in New Orleans in instances where they have back-to-back sets consisting of one road game and one home game. While Walker’s argument is understandable, it’s worth noting that the NBA’s player participation policy, which applies this season to Williamson, discourages teams from resting players on the road.