Pelicans Rumors

Floundering Pelicans ‘Embarrassed’ After Latest Loss

November 28th, 2024 at 9:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans were blown out by the Raptors on Wednesday in Dejounte Murray‘s return from a fractured hand. Murray and his teammates left their home court humiliated with their season at a crossroads. Their fans turned on them during the 119-93 loss and Murray couldn’t blame them.

“If you’re not embarrassed and really mad about this, that’s a problem,” Murray said, per Brett Martel of the Associated Press. “It’s not really about the loss, (but) how we lost in front of our fans, Like, even the fans booing — I mean, what would you do if you was a fan paying your money? You want to come watch a competitive basketball game, especially from your home team. So, they got all the rights to say what they want, feel how they feel. They deserve a better game.”

Entering the season, the Pelicans looked like a contender with Murray, acquired in a trade with Atlanta, joining a lineup that included Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, along with proven role players Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado.

Injuries have left them scrambling the first two months of the season. They have lost six straight and 15 of their last 17. Williamson, Ingram, Murphy, Jones and Alvarado remain sidelined but Murray says the compete level must rise, no matter who is available. Toronto came into New Orleans winless on the road.

“When you’ve got guys in, guys out, guys in, guys out, it’s really tough,” said Murray, who finished with 14 points after missing his first seven field goal attempts. “But I think it’s not tough to compete. You can’t get punked. You can’t get pushed around. Tonight, it was just disgusting. We’ve got to compete. We’ve got to play harder, no matter who’s on the floor.”

It’s fair to wonder whether changes might be coming soon, either to the roster or the coaching staff. Head coach Willie Green knows a quick turnaround is needed if his team wants to get back in the postseason picture.

“Starting with me, we have to be better,” Green said, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “That was a lack of competition. We allowed a team to come on our home floor and make us look soft. That’s what I told our group. That can’t happen.”

Toronto shot 49.5 percent from the field and had 38 assists on 47 made baskets.

“Either they got better overnight, or we’ve got to do a better job closing out and making it more difficult,” McCollum said. “It was a horrible showing. From top to bottom, we’ve all got to be better.”

New Orleans now heads out on a three-game road swing with stops in Memphis, New York and Atlanta.

Southwest Notes: Murray, Payton, Aldama, Tate

November 27th, 2024 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

After a report earlier in the week stated that Dejounte Murray was targeting Wednesday for his return from a fractured hand, the Pelicans confirmed it today, announcing (via Twitter) that the team’s most significant offseason addition will be available to play vs. Toronto.

As Will Guillory of The Athletic writes, New Orleans prioritized Murray over the summer because the team wanted to add a true floor general, something the roster had lacked in recent years. Although Murray struggled to score efficiently in his first and only regular season game with the Pelicans last month, making just 4-of-15 shots from the field, he racked up 10 assists and the offense had a more “natural order” when he was running the show, according to Guillory.

While the Pelicans have been missing several players in recent weeks due to injuries, getting a play-maker like Murray back represents a crucial step toward establishing an identity and improving an offense that ranks 27th in the NBA with a 106.8 offensive rating.

“It’s contagious,” head coach Willie Green said. “When you have guys like that who are willing to get off the basketball — they’re looking to get you quality looks — guys are running more. They’re cutting more. Now, they’re sharing the ball because there’s a standard that’s been set.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

With Murray unavailable, point guard Elfrid Payton has started the past three games for the Pelicans after signing a non-guaranteed contract a week ago. It had been two-and-a-half years since Payton last played in a regular season NBA game, but he has been impressive — New Orleans has been better with him on the court than off it in all three games and he handed out a career-high 21 assists on Monday in Indiana. Christian Clark of NOLA.com has the story on Payton’s huge night on Monday, while Rod Walker of NOLA.com takes a look at how the Lousiana native has stepped up for his hometown team.
Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama didn’t reach an agreement on a rookie scale extension prior to this season and is now on track to reach restricted free agency in 2025. Speaking to Nacho Duque of Marca, Aldama – who is averaging a career-best 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game – said he’s making an effort not to play “selfish” basketball in his contract year and hopes to work out a new deal with the Grizzlies next summer. “Memphis is my home,” he said. “I feel like we have a very good relationship, and I hope it lasts for many more years.”
Kelly Iko and Danny Leroux of The Athletic take a look at where three Southwest teams – the Rockets, Spurs, and Grizzlies – stand from a salary cap perspective. Within the story, Iko reports that “a few teams” have inquired this season about the availability of veteran Houston forward Jae’Sean Tate, who is on an expiring $7.56MM contract and has fallen out of the club’s rotation due to the emergence of other players. According to Iko, the Rockets would be seeking second-round draft capital in return for Tate.

Southwest Notes: Durant, Rockets, Cuban, Udoka, Williamson

November 25th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets’ interest in Kevin Durant has been overstated, Marc Stein reports in a Substack post. Stein wrote last month that there was a strong belief around the league that the Rockets were interested in a Durant deal.

Stein hears now that Houston is determined to prioritize internal development this season rather than looking to make a big move before the February trade deadline. Houston’s front office intends to prioritize timeline considerations, as much as talent and fit, when they do make their next major trade. The Rockets’ roster is loaded with younger players, featuring seven first-round picks who are 23 or younger.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic previously reported that the Rockets aren’t interested in breaking up their young core to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. Of course, it’s worth noting that neither Durant nor Antetokounmpo is available at this time.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mark Cuban has essentially ceased going to Mavericks games on the road and there’s a big reason why, he told Stein. “The NBA got really, really, really petty and said that I can’t sit behind the bench anymore,” Cuban said. Stein points out that Cuban’s presence in the second row behind the bench was a violation of league rules but the league ignored it for many years when he was the franchise’s controlling owner. Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks last year. Cuban talks to Mavs general manager Nico Harrison frequently but Patrick Dumont is the Mavericks’ official governor and operates as day-to-day owner, according to Cuban.
The Rockets’ strong start has been fueled by an improved defense and that’s no accident. Head coach Ime Udoka firmly believes that defense wins championships. “We’re only as good as our one-on-one defense,” Udoka told The Ringer’s Michael Pina. “We’re only as good as all our five on the court, and any weak link is exploited. Everything flows out from that philosophy, which makes a ton of sense on paper but is quite grueling in practice. It’s not a lot of schematics to it. There’s a lot of will and want to it, for sure. But it’s also very eye-opening when you show them the numbers from the previous few years in those areas. If you’re honestly tired of losing and want to change the perception of the team, I mean, that’s where we all start.”
The Pelicans have a lot of hard decisions to make in the coming months and offseason, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith opines. One thing they should seriously consider, in Smith’s view, is moving on from oft-injured Zion Williamson via the trade route or by getting out of his contract. He’s a dominant offensive force when healthy but his rebounding and defense is subpar, Smith notes. Due to a games played clause, the Pelicans can get out of Williamson’s contract after this season with no more than $7.8MM owed to him if he doesn’t appear in at least 41 total games this season. Williamson is currently out with another hamstring injury.

Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray Plans To Return Wednesday

November 25th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray intends to return to action on Wednesday vs. Toronto, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Murray was the first of several Pelicans regulars to sustain an in-season injury, going down on opening night with a fractured left hand. The 28-year-old was the club’s most significant offseason addition, with the Pelicans sending Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and a pair of future first-round picks to Atlanta as part of a package for an impact player they envisioned as their starting point guard.

Murray looked good in that role on October 23, nearly registering a triple-double (14 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) in 30 minutes of action in the team’s season-opening win over the Bulls. However, he hasn’t played since then, and New Orleans has also seen Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins sidelined with multi-week injuries.

The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since winning their first two of the season. They’re running out of time to turn things around in a competitive Western Conference and are expected to be without Williamson and Alvarado for a while yet, but there are reinforcements coming in the backcourt.

While Murray is officially listed as out for Monday’s contest vs. Indiana (Twitter link), his backcourt mate McCollum is probable, indicating he’s likely to return after missing the past 13 games with a right adductor strain. Murray appears on track to rejoin him in the starting lineup two days later.

Brandon Ingram is questionable for Monday’s game with right calf soreness.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram Leaving Excel Sports Management

November 25th, 2024 at 9:53am CST by Rory Maher

Just days after Zion Williamson decided to part ways with his representatives at CAA, a second Pelicans star is also switching agencies. Sources tell Will Guillory and Kelly Iko of The Athletic that Brandon Ingram is leaving Excel Sports Management (Twitter link).

Both RealGM and HoopsHype had Ingram’s agents listed as Jeff Schwartz and Jordan Gertler. It’s not yet known which agency Ingram will be joining, but he’ll have to wait 15 days before he can hire new representation.

It’s certainly an interesting development, as the former All-Star forward is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. Ingram was reportedly seeking a maximum-salary extension over the offseason, which the Pelicans were unwilling to offer. His name then surfaced in trade rumors, but obviously he’s still with New Orleans — his contract demands likely played a factor in no move being made.

Ingram is earning about $36MM in 2024/25, which is the final season of his contract.

The second overall pick of the 2016 draft, Ingram is in his sixth season with the Pelicans, who acquired him from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade back in 2019. Through 16 games this season, the 27-year-old is averaging 22.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 5.4 APG on .465/.364/.830 shooting in 33.7 MPG.

Although Ingram has been very productive during his time in New Orleans, injuries have also been an issue, as he’s missed at least 10 games in each of his five full seasons with the Pelicans, who have once again by plagued by ailments to open ’24/25. The club is currently sitting in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-13 record.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Marshall, Spurs, Pelicans, McCollum

November 23rd, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After a late-game defensive breakdown resulted in a frustrating two-point loss in Utah last Thursday, the Mavericks immediately watched film and held a post-game meeting, with “accountability, effort and unselfishness” among the themes, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“We talked about a lot of things, and got a lot of things out in the open,” Mavericks forward P.J. Washington said, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “But the main thing is that we knew we were better than that, and that we had to be better going forward.”

“We needed to stop playing ‘I’ basketball and we needed to play ‘we’ basketball,” center Dereck Lively added, per Curtis. “That’s what we’ve been doing these past couple of games and it’s been working.”

As Lively points out, the Mavericks have turned things around since falling to 5-7 with that loss in Utah. The team will take a four-game winning streak into Miami on Sunday, having registered a pair of comfortable home victories over San Antonio and New Orleans along with two impressive road wins in Oklahoma City and Denver in the past week. While that loss to the Jazz has cost the Mavs a few spots in the tightly congested Western Conference standings, Washington is happy that something good came out of it.

“In a way I’m kind of glad that it happened,” he said. “Because you never want to lose like that. We all knew that we were capable of doing a lot of things better. We needed to be accountable to each other. So, that’s why we kind of talked about it right after the game.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Mavericks forward Naji Marshall helped seal Friday’s win over Denver, playing clutch minutes in the fourth quarter with Klay Thompson on the bench, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda spoke to Marshall about adjusting to a new team this fall after spending four years in New Orleans and talked to some of Marshall’s new teammates about the impact the newcomer has had so far. “This is the most talented team I’ve been on,” Marshall told Afseth. “The coaches are great, the front office is amazing, and the training staff is incredible. I really have no complaints.”
Devin Vassell (sore left knee) will be unavailable for a fourth straight game on Saturday, but it appears Victor Wembanyama (bruised right knee) will make his return after missing the past three contests. After initially listing both players as questionable, the Spurs have ruled out Vassell and upgraded Wembanyama to probable, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since opening the season with back-to-back wins and now hold a 4-13 record. However, Zion Williamson remains optimistic that the team has time to turn things around, especially once more key players – including Zion himself – return from injuries. “We know the position we are in right now,” Williamson said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “It’s not a good one at the moment. We come in the gym every day in good spirits. We are going to figure it out.”
One injured Pelicans player who appears to be nearing a return? CJ McCollum. The veteran guard has been on the shelf since October 29 due to a thigh injury, but told reporters that he went through a contact practice on Saturday and hopes to suit up on Monday vs. Indiana (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).

Zion Williamson Parting Ways With CAA

November 23rd, 2024 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and his representatives at Creative Arts Agency, including agent Austin Brown, are parting ways, sources tell Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

It’s unclear why the two sides are ending their relationship, according to The Athletic’s duo, but the National Basketball Players Association has confirmed that CAA is no longer listed as Williamson’s representative.

The player’s union doesn’t yet have a new agent on record for the former No. 1 overall pick, Vardon and Amick add. A player who parts with an agent must wait 15 days before hiring new representation.

Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, so in all likelihood, he won’t be negotiating a new deal anytime soon.

However, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic previously reported, the 24-year-old’s contract is a unique one. Currently, the final three years of Williamson’s deal, beginning in 2025/26, are non-guaranteed. He can re-guarantee part or all of his salary for ’25/26 by meeting the following benchmarks:

Appearing in at least 41 games this season: 40% guarantee
Appearing in at least 51 games this season: An additional 20%
Appearing in at least 61 games this season: An additional 20%
Passing all six of his weigh-in checkpoints this season (his combined weight and body fat percentage must be below 295): An additional 20%

Those criteria are the same for each season. For instance, if Williamson plays in at least 61 games and passes all his weigh-in checkpoints during the 2025/26 season, he would automatically guarantee his full salary for ’26/27.

The Pelicans forward is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and reportedly isn’t close to returning, so those games-played thresholds will become increasingly difficult to meet the longer he remains sidelined, meaning some or all of his ’25/26 salary will likely remain non-guaranteed.

Still, as Vardon and Amick write, the Pelicans won’t realize any cap savings as a result of Williamson’s non-guaranteed salaries unless they waive him, which seems highly unlikely to happen anytime in the near future. If he remains under contract through July 15, 2025, his ’25/26 salary will become fully guaranteed.

When he’s healthy and available, the former Duke standout is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players — he holds career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 31.8 minutes per game across 190 outings (all starts). The problem is that he has missed 217 regular season games and counting during his five-plus seasons in the league.

Zion Williamson Not Near Return For Pelicans

November 22nd, 2024 at 5:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson is nowhere near being ready to return to the hardwood for New Orleans, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. The 6’6″ superstar, who sustained a left hamstring strain two weeks ago, has undergone “multiple treatments” on the affected hamstring, Charania adds.

Sources tell ESPN that the Pelicans were initially bracing for Williamson to miss at least four to six weeks as a result of the injury. However, it’s possible his absence will extend beyond that window, according to Charania, who notes that the former No. 1 overall pick has suffered multiple hamstring strains since entering the league. In other words, the team will be cautious with his recovery timeline.

In his six healthy contests for New Orleans, Williamson averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He posted a shooting line of .452/.333/.667 during those bouts.

Injuries and fitness have been a major impediment to Williamson’s pro career. Since being selected with the No. 1 pick out of Duke in 2019, Williamson has already missed 48 or more games in three separate seasons due to various maladies. Charania notes that the forward has only been available for 190 of over 400 potential regular season contests.

The Pelicans have fallen on hard times with a rash of long-term injuries beyond just Williams. Aside from Williamson, forward/center Herbert Jones, and guards Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins have all missed extended time this year. The team is currently 4-12 in the competitive Western Conference.

New Orleans did get some good news Friday, at least. Will Guillory of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Hawkins and Brandon Ingram, who missed Wednesday’s game with a bilateral ankle sprain, will suit up for the Pelicans for their NBA Cup tilt against the Warriors.

Pelicans Notes: Green, Rotation, Potential Trades, Lakers Pick, McCollum, Hawkins

November 21st, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pelicans, who had hoped to reach or surpass the 50-win mark this season, are spiraling due to injuries. At 4-12, there’s been some outside speculation that head coach Willie Green‘s job could be in jeopardy, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. However, Guillory doesn’t believe Green is in danger of losing his position, given that the team’s current starters include Brandon Boston Jr., Javonte Green and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl — Green wasn’t on the team until late August, while Boston was added the day before the regular season tipped off.

Even though those players have had some nice individual moments, it’s important to consider that Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray — most of the starting lineup — have all missed extensive time. Key rotation pieces like Trey Murphy, Jordan Hawkins and Jose Alvarado have also suffered injuries.

While the injuries are a large part of the Pelicans’ slow start, Guillory opines that Green could still be making some improvements as the schedule wears on. New Orleans has struggled in close games this year. However, Guillory doesn’t believe that any one person should be shouldering the blame, including the medical staff.

We have more from the Pelicans:

Once the Pelicans get healthier, they’ll have some key rotation decisions to make. Rookie Yves Missi has been a bright spot this season and should be under consideration for the starting center spot when the team is healthy, Guillory suggests in the same mailbag. Still, Green might opt to close some games with Robinson-Earl or Jones (when he’s healthy) for spacing purposes. Guillory also sees Boston continuing to see some minutes when the team is closer to 100%. The fourth-year swingman has been impressive, averaging 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on a two-way contract.
While there still isn’t much smoke regarding a potential Brandon Ingram trade despite his pending unrestricted free agent status, Guillory expects any potential trade involving Ingram to bring back a starting-caliber center. Still, Guillory writes that it doesn’t make much sense to move assets when the team is far from playoff contention at the moment.
In light of Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht exploding for 37 points, it’s easy to wonder if the Pelicans regret giving up that pick. The Pelicans had the rights to Los Angeles’s No. 17 overall pick (used on Knecht), but chose to defer the selection to a 2025 unprotected first-rounder. Guillory points out that adding another first-round salary would’ve been difficult, given the Pelicans’ current financial situation, and that punting on the selection and hoping the Lakers would have a rough season seemed like a better idea than taking another swing in an uncertain class. The Lakers are 10-4 and third in the Western Conference, so it looks like that first-round pick may end up being worse than No. 17.
McCollum was upgraded to doubtful on the Pelicans’ latest injury report, according to Guillory (Twitter link). Hawkins was also upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game. It looks like both players will return from injury in the coming days, which lines up with recent reporting.
In case you missed it, Elfrid Payton, signed to a contract on Wednesday, played well in his debut with the Pelicans.

Western Notes: DeRozan, Sabonis, Monk, Melton, Jenkins, Payton

November 21st, 2024 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings forward DeMar DeRozan intends to return to action on Friday vs. the Clippers after missing three games due to a back issue, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

DeRozan may not be the only key player back on the court for the team in Los Angeles. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), Domantas Sabonis (back) has fully participated in practice for the past two days, while Malik Monk (ankle) also took part in Thursday’s practice.

As Anderson relays (via Twitter), head coach Mike Brown said today that Monk – who is working his way back from an ankle sprain that was expected to keep him on the shelf through this weekend – will “most likely” remain inactive for Friday’s contest. However, Brown confirmed that DeRozan and Sabonis are “looking good” to return.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton, who will undergo season-ending surgery on his ACL, is well-liked in the locker room and could be a candidate to return to Golden State next season, given that he should be available at a bargain price, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I know the imprint he’s already left on this organization,” teammate Draymond Green said. “He’ll have an opportunity to come back. Hopefully, he decides that’s the right thing for him.”
Taylor Jenkins secured his 215th win as the Grizzlies head coach on Wednesday to pass Lionel Hollins as the winningest coach in team history, per Clay Bailey of The Associated Press. “It’s an unbelievable honor to be among the company of so many great coaches that have come before me,” said Jenkins, who holds a 215-192 regular season record since being hired in 2019. “I always talk about the unbelievable responsibility to be the coach of this franchise. It’s a privilege and an honor.”
Appearing in his first NBA regular season game since April 2022, Elfrid Payton earned a start for the shorthanded Pelicans on Wednesday, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Payton, who signed a non-guaranteed contract earlier in the day, made the most of the opportunity, contributing 11 points, eight assists, and five rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes.

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