The New Orleans Pelicans still have the option to reset if they need to after this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans made a choice this offseason to stick with their current core of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. Many have criticized the team's unwillingness to rebuild, but that could still be an option if things continue down their current path.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently went over 30 different overreactions to this NBA offseason. There are many overreactions when it comes to the Pelicans, but the one focused on by Buckley is that "they missed their window to reset."
While New Orleans certainly could have blown everything up this offseason and went full steam ahead on a rebuild focused on Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, they didn't necessarily need to.
The Pelicans did have the flexibility of not needing to trade anyone this offseason if they didn't have their price met, and that looks like it's exactly what happened. They were apparently willing to move Murphy if someone were to meet their wild asking price of three first-round picks, but no one did. New Orleans was able to ask for that much because they have the leverage.
With Murphy, he is still under contract for two more seasons following this. If the Pelicans don't feel like they are going to re-sign him, they certainly could move him. Instead, they are going to try to build a contender and convince him to stay over these next few years because they have the time.
Once they decide to give up, if they do, they'll have no issues trading him. Murphy is exactly the type of talent that any NBA team wants to add at any time. He is on a team-friendly deal, can jump out of the gym and is one of the league's best shooters. New Orleans has far from lost their ability to get two first-round picks for him.
The same could be said for Jones. His value is not volatile right now because teams know what they are getting in him. He is signed through 29/30 and is one of the best individual defenders in basketball. Up until the deadline on his expiring deal, teams will want to trade for him.
The biggest downside to not resetting is not their ability to recoup assets, but how it might hurt the development of their younger players, as they have to continue to take a step back out of the spotlight for this current core of players. Whenever the team wants to focus on Fears and Queen, they'll be able to.
