When the 2025-26 season officially opens later next month, the New Orleans Pelicans are a team looking to turn things around and compete in the Western Conference. Going back to last season’s trade deadline, the Pelicans made a couple of trades to shake up their core in trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors and trading CJ McCollum to the Washington Wizards. Making a run in the West is going to be tough, and it will likely come with a Pelicans starter losing their spot during training camp.
The past couple of seasons, the Pelicans have seen injuries derail their hopes, and health will play another big factor this season, especially when it comes to star forward Zion Williamson. But provided the Pelicans have a clean slate of health, there could be a shakeup with the starters.
When the Pelicans traded McCollum, they received Jordan Poole in return. Poole figures to replace McCollum in the starting lineup. Dejounte Murray, the Pelicans major offseason acquisition from a year ago, figures to start the season on the sidelines as he continues to rehab from an Achilles injury. When he returns, he should start in the backcourt alongside Poole.
Williamson’s starting spot in the frontcourt is safe, and if the Pelicans want to continue having a traditional center in the starting lineup, second-year big man Yves Missi should be safe too. That would leave Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III as the players in danger of losing their starter job during Pelicans’ training camp.
Jones is an All-Defensive player, and Murphy has made the leap to being a tenacious, versatile defender as well. Both figure to be in the starting lineup when the seasons begins, but when Murray returns to the court, that will pose questions for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans are clearly invested in the development of both players, having signed Murphy to a long-term extension at the start of last season, and signing Jones to a long-term extension this offseason. Both have spent their careers to this point alternating between being starters and coming off the bench.
Jones was limited to only 20 games last season due to a shoulder injury, but he still averaged double figures in points with 10.3, to go along with 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals. He shot 43.6 percent from the field, 30.6 percent from the three-point line and 82.5 percent from the free-throw line.
The one thing that Murphy might have in his favor in terms of remaining in the starting lineup is his offensive ceiling. There were times last season where Murphy looked like a budding All-Star caliber player. This past season, he appeared in 53 games at a just about 35 minutes per game. He averaged a career-high 21.2 points, after back-to-back seasons of putting up 14+ points.
Jones is positive on offense, especially off the ball which might actually give him a bit of an advantage in camp. With players like Williamson, Poole and Murray who thrive with the ball in their hands, a spot-up shooter who can cut and move like Jones would fit well with the other starters. Before his injury-plagued 2024-25, Jones was coming off a career-high 41.8 percent from three-point range.
But if the Pelicans want more offense and shot creation alongside the rest of the starters, then Murphy would have the leg up. He took a career-best 15.8 shot attempts last season and shot 45.4 percent from the field.
Early projections would have Jones and Murphy as being the two players on the bubble in terms of starting, but the Pelicans could always throw a monkey wrench into things and decide to bring one of Poole and Murray off the bench.
