The New Orleans Pelicans’ turbulent offseason led to a major front office shakeup. This April, the team appointed seasoned Executive Vice President Joe Dumars, a Louisiana native, and Troy Weaver, who will fulfill the Senior Vice President position, as well as acting general manager.
Both have had success in developing championship-winning teams. As far as roster changes, this year has seen substantial turnover with the decision to trade two of their beloved All-Stars: veteran point guard CJ McCollum and Most Improved Player recipient power forward Brandon Ingram.
The choice to trade both in the same year as new leadership took over certainly sparked debate among fans and critics. Many condemned the moves as an overzealous approach to team revision because of the perceived imbalance of advantage with what the team received in return.
However, after acquiring shooting guard Jordan Poole and power forward Saddiq Bey from the Washington Wizards, along with trade rights to small forward Micah Peavy, could prove advantageous. Both Poole and Bey are versatile players with complementary skills, unlike Ingram and McCollum, who competed as star shooters.
This could signal improved team harmony, not to mention they’re much younger than Ingram and McCollum - better aligning with the rest of the team’s starters.
Securing the All-Freshman rookie and first-round pick, point guard Jeremiah Fears, does inspire hope for the team. He lacks experience and his ability to create an instant impact is certainly unpredictable.
However, Fears’s fiery personality, paired with excellent branding in number assignment (0; “0 Fears”), could be a sign of future franchise success. Developed properly and given time on the court, Fears could be a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year. If nothing else, Coach Willie Green is an expert in player development, as seen with players like Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones.
The decision to keep power forward Zion Williamson also sparked discussion, considering he’s played in only 45-percent of possible games since being drafted in 2019 and a measly 30 of the 82 in the last regular season. Despite being predicted to be one of the greatest players of all time with a real chance at the MVP, Williamson has proven unreliable and unfocused.
With the team’s commitment to a nearly $40 million annual salary, it seems the Pelicans are still all in on building a team around a player with a track record like that.
Nonetheless, the franchise’s decision to extend small forward Herbert Jones’s contract in a five-year, $97 million deal locks in a secure defense for the Pelicans as they develop chemistry while working the new players into the system.