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To say that the New Orleans Pelicans have had a polarizing offseason thus far would be a major understatement. They made one of the most criticized moves of the offseason when they traded away the 23rd overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and an unprotected first-rounder in 2026 (the better of their and the Milwaukee Bucks' selection) to move up 10 spots to select Derik Queen.
Selecting Queen in and of itself was not a bad move. After all, the Maryland product has shown an impressive all-around game, a developing touch from the perimeter, and quick feet for a big man. But with Yves Missi already on the roster, the Pelicans' center rotation is about to be very crowded, especially when they signed Kevon Looney to a two-year, $16 million deal in free agency.
There is plenty of talent up and down the Pelicans roster, no question about it. Across multiple positions, they have depth; the only questions for the Pelicans to grapple with now are: can head coach Willie Green make sense of the squad he has at his disposal, and will Zion Williamson, a game-changing talent when healthy, stay off the injury report or from off-court trouble?
But there might be a move or two left for the Pelicans to do to to make the roster more coherent heading into the 2025-26 season as they look to prove their doubters wrong and compete for a playoff spot in the stacked Western Conference.
Is Yves Missi the odd man out for the Pelicans?
At the moment, the Pelicans already have 14 players under a standard contract after they signed second-round pick Micah Peavy to a four-year deal in recent days. It looks as though, for better or for worse, this is the roster that the Pelicans will be entering the 2025-26 season with, barring a late change of heart regarding Dejounte Murray or their coveted wing duo of Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
But it's rather unlikely for the Pelicans to cut ties with Murray just one year after acquiring him in the trade that cost them the 2025 NBA Most Improved Player, Dyson Daniels. Murray is still recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered back in late January, and considering the typical recovery period for such an injury, he's in danger of missing the majority of the 2025-26 season.
It's not going to be very smart for the Pelicans to trade Murray when his value is at its nadir. This makes their acquisition of Jordan Poole a key one, as Poole will be tasked to be the team's lead ballhandler for much of next season as Jeremiah Fears acclimates to the NBA.
Meanwhile, Jones and Murphy are players every team with contending aspirations would want. The Pelicans, given that they gave up their first-rounder for next season, have to keep them at all costs at least until 2026. Jones is under contract for two more seasons at an average value of just around $14 million per year, while Murphy, a breakout player last season, has four more years left on his deal at a total of $112 million — huge bargains.
With that, if the Pelicans were to trade anyone, perhaps Yves Missi ends up being the odd man out for them. Missi was impressive in bursts during his rookie campaign, averaging 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game on 54.7 percent shooting from the field, and he looks to be the next one in a long line of centers with a play style similar to that of Clint Capela — a lob threat who can be disruptive when defending the paint.
Missi is a draft-night success for the Pelicans, and at 21 years of age, he has a long career ahead of him catching lobs and protecting the paint in the NBA. But with the arrival of Queen and Looney, Missi could end up being the odd man out.
Missi, in fact, has been mentioned in trade rumors, with ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel mentioning the Pelicans youngster as a potential target for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 21-year-old center should not be untouchable, but with the Pelicans building a young roster, it's a bit asinine to give up on someone who was one of the few bright spots that New Orleans had last season.
With a new regime at the helm for the Pelicans, perhaps Missi ends up being dangled for some guard help. But that could only end up blocking Fears from a chance at assuming the starting point guard role on a full-time basis.
There aren't many more moves that the Pelicans have to make; they simply have to be healthy throughout the 2025-26 season to have a shot at making the playoffs. But if there's anything they can do, it's take from a position of strength to address a need — although at the cost of Missi, a major hit after he was selected 21st overall in 2024.
