The NBA Finals are over and now the fun of the offseason's free-agent frenzy can truly ramp up. Every franchise was allowed to begin negotiations with their impending free agents as soon as the Boston Celtics were crowned champions under the new CBA. All out-of-contract players can be contacted on June 30 giving front offices plenty of time to plan out their priority call lists. The New Orleans Pelicans have to cast a wide net in free agency this summer in hopes of finding a low-key bargain that can contribute immediately.
The Pelicans learned some lessons from the NBA Finals. They can only bet on Zion Williamson to do so much next season. Now EVP David Griffin and Willie Green will have to put on a full-court press to reel in a few new fresh faces. Free agents have not exactly been flocking to New Orleans over the past two decades after all. Thankfully, the organization should be operating with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (NTMLE) of $12.9 million in the market. The Room Mid-Level Exception is worth $8 million; the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception is good for $5.3 million.
Free agents not flocking to the Pelicans
The Pelicans will likely need to add another contributor through a trade. Free agents have been hard to come by even with the Griffin era starting with an NBA Draft Lottery win. Williamson has not been healthy enough to recruit through actions and words only go so far. It took $44 million just to attract Solomon Hill to town, remember?
New Orleans made the Anthony Davis trade in the summer of 2019. The Pelicans were able to sign J.J. Redick and Darius Miller to help Williamson transition to the professional game. The team also waived Christian Wood before training camp. It's been tough to find any top-end talents in free agency ever since.
The Jrue Holiday trade came the following summer, shuffling the decks through trades and the NBA Draft. Willy Hernangomez was signed very late (November 2020) to fill out a roster spot. Matt Ryan (claimed off waivers) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl were converted from two-way free-agent deals in 2024. The previous regime's last haul was Julius Randle, Ian Clark, Elfrid Payton, and Jahlil Okafor in 2018.
The landscape has changed considerably under the new CBA though. There may be a few difference makers worthy of Mid-Level Exception money the Pelicans could convince into a Crescent City move.
Wings worthy of Mid-Level Exception
Tobias Harris can shoot, score off the dribble, score without seeing much of the ball, and provide passable NBA Playoffs caliber defense. New Orleans could use that veteran leadership, especially if Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas leave town. Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus pegs the next Harris deal to be around $16.9 million over two years. The Pelicans can match or top that to shore up their frontcourt depth.
Harris has played over 70 games five times over the past six seasons and that outlier was during the pandemic. The 31-year-old has been a steady rotational piece at every stop during a 13-year NBA career. The Pelicans could always use another high-character high-level contributor in the locker room.
Buddy Hield does not do much at a near-elite level but three-point shooting is a calling card that will keep getting paid. Hield's last deal was for $86 million over four years. The 31-year-old might not get $30 million over three seasons this summer. That is the right price range for the Pelicans, who would have still some leftover MLE funds to spend on a veteran big man.
There is some risk here though in not learning from another team's mistake. Philadelphia's trade deadline acquisition of Hield was a flop going by the multiple DNP-CDs in the NBA Playoffs. Wasting money on someone who cannot be trusted in the most important moments is not a successful pathway for a notoriously frugal franchise. Finding another team to take on Hield mid-season might be too costly, ala the Devonte' Graham deal that cost the Pelicans four first-rounders.
Caleb Martin might not have the most eye-popping stats but it's obvious to anyone watching his value to the Miami Heat over the past few seasons. The offensively versatile, defensively switchable 28-year-old will get offers the luxury-tax-limited Heat cannot match. The Pelicans can be at the top end of those offers and give Martin a slightly bigger role.
An increase on Martin's 10.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game would not be surprising next to Zion Williamson instead of Jimmy Butler. Would he be willing to work in the Western Conference? The only way to find out is to make an offer.
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