The New Orleans Pelicans are more prepared to trade Herb Jones now that they have Bennedict Mathurin in the building, not that they should.
While the New Orleans Pelicans have avoided a tear-down of the roster, it would be foolish to assume they don't have the future at least somewhat in mind after two straight sub-30 win seasons.
One of their more sought-after veterans is guard/forward Herbert Jones Jr., who is one of the best individual defenders in the league. Any contending team would love to have him, which will certainly mean the Pelicans will have active phones towards the deadline.
Normally, trading Jones would be a no-go. New Orleans wants to win right now, and there was no one else who could take his spot in the starting lineup and provide an answer for the future while also keeping them afloat in 2026.
Then, the Pelicans added Bennedict Mathurin. They are two very different players who offer very different skill sets, but Mathurin could be the long-term answer at the two-guard next to Jeremiah Fears. He could also start right away and provide more offense than Jones normally brings.
The 24-year-old posted 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 43.0/31.5/86.9 shooting splits last season. That level of offensive output, even if it isn't that much from three, could help the team out tremendously. He's about on par with Jones in terms of volume and consistency from deep.
While New Orleans signed Mathurin to a two-year, $16 million deal, it really feels more like a trial deal for a bigger contract next season. If the results this year are positive, the Pelicans will almost shell out what it'll take to sign him long term.
With a long-desired young wing on the roster, Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver are going to be much more willing to do a deal for Jones, now that they feel like they have someone special in Mathurin.
All that being said, it would likely be a huge mistake to move Jones. Due to some injury troubles over the past two seasons, it has been shown what this team can do defensively without him and it is ugly. While he doesn't have a big offensive output, he may impact winning the most on the entire team.
If New Orleans decides to commit to a rebuild, at least a soft one, then moving Jones would make more sense. He's a couple of years older than even Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy, so he always felt like he could be the first to go. He won't be moved in the next few weeks, but may have his market heat up again mid-season.
