Pelicans: 1 big mistake by New Orleans in 2023 NBA free agency

Heading into the 2022-23 NBA regular season, there were plenty of folks who had high expectations for the New Orleans Pelicans. After all, the Pelicans were fresh off their first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 campaign and took the one-seeded Phoenix Suns to six games as the eighth seed in the West. But fast forward to the current day, and it's clear that New Orleans fell very short of expectations.

The New Orleans Pelicans did little but tread water this season. As though they did improve their regular-season record from last year (they finished with 42 wins as opposed to 36 in 2021-22), New Orleans still finished with just the ninth-best record in the Western Conference. And they didn't even qualify for the postseason, as the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated them from the play-in tournament.

The New Orleans Pelicans 2022-23 season was certainly underwhelming, but a productive free-agency period could have helped fans forget about the season that was. Unfortunately, though, the Pelicans have lost more than they've gained in free agency thus far.

Both Jaxson Hayes (Los Angeles Lakers) and Josh Richardson (Miami Heat) have found new homes with other NBA franchises. And the Pelicans' only free agency addition to this point has been veteran big man Cody Zeller.

The Pelicans made a big mistake by letting one of those aforementioned players walk in free agency this summer. With all of that said, let's look at one big mistake that the New Orleans Pelicans made in NBA free agency:

1 big mistake by Pelicans in 2023 NBA free agency

Letting Josh Richardson walk in free agency

Prior to the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline, the Pelicans dealt guard Devonte' Graham along with four future second-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for wing Josh Richardson. At the time, that seemed like a lot of assets to give up for a bench player on an expiring contract. But Richardson proved to be worth that price and then some, as he thrived in his 23-game stint off the Pelicans bench.

Over the course of his eight years playing in the NBA, Josh Richardson has built a reputation for being a pesky on-ball defender, and he lived up to his reputation with the Pelicans. He came up with 1.3 steals per game, the second-highest average of his pro career.

While Josh Richardson is best known for making opposing players' lives miserable on offense, he's more than just a disruptive on-ball defender. Richardson also was productive on the offensive end of the floor and provided valuable floor spacing for the Pelicans. He shot 38.4% from behind the three-point arc with New Orleans on 3.7 attempts per game, an impressive blend of usage and accuracy.

All in all, Josh Richardson positively impacted the game on both ends of the floor in his short stint in New Orleans. His three-and-d skillset made him one of the most productive bench players on the Pelicans bench in the 2022-23 campaign.

At this juncture, only time will tell if the New Orleans Pelicans will stand pat with their current roster or decide to add more players via free agency. But what's already abundantly clear is that the Pelicans should have been much more aggressive in pursuing a contract extension with wing Josh Richardson, especially considering the Pelicans likely could have re-signed Richardson without breaking the bank, as Richardson agreed to a two-year, $5.9 million deal with the Heat.