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Bruski 150SportsEthos 2026 Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide
Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide 2026: New Orleans Pelicans Team Preview
Last Updated on August 30, 2026 5:23 am by Mike Passador | Published: August 30, 2026
How’d We Get Here?
The Pelicans slogged through another lost season in which none of the pieces seemed to really fit together. Willie Green was fired early on, with James Borrego taking over on an interim basis. There wasn’t a ton of change — things actually got worse for offseason pickup Jordan Poole — and the team’s development strategy remained questionable at best. Jeremiah Fears quickly jumped into the starting five and eventually knocked Poole out of the rotation entirely, but closed the season in a bench role as the Pelicans made room for Dejounte Murray. The Pels paid a hefty price to acquire Derik Queen only to yank his minutes around, and last year’s first-rounder Yves Missi got the same treatment as the Pelicans decided to take Kevon Looney and DeAndre Jordan for separate spins throughout the campaign. Herb Jones struggled with his shot and was constantly injured. The losses mounted and the rotation never quite made sense but there were still positives. Zion Williamson stayed healthy, relatively speaking, and delivered his longest ever streak of consecutive appearances. Trey Murphy was largely excellent. Saddiq Bey was the best he has ever been, even after coming off a full missed season with a torn ACL. The youngsters did have their moments but the Pelicans remained less than the sum of their parts. They hired Jamahl Mosley as head coach and are hoping that he can repeat what he did with the Magic in taking a talented but disjointed roster of younger players and turning them into a legitimate playoff team with a defense-first culture. Only time will tell if he can do it, but the Pelicans always make you feel like they’re leaving money on the table given how many quality players are actually on the roster. The organization is betting a lot on Mosley after a quiet offseason that featured only Bennedict Mathurin’s arrival as a potential change to the rotation.
For a full recap of last season to set the table, check out our New Orleans Pelicans Season Wrap!
The New Orleans Pelicans Season Wrap
Offseason Moves
Arrivals: Bennedict Mathurin, Trendon Watford, Christian Koloko, Kobe Bufkin, Caleb Houstan
Rookie Arrivals: Jaron Pierre Jr. (No. 58), Malik Dia (UDFA 2W)
Departures: Kevon Looney, Trey Alexander, Josh Oduro, Hunter Dickinson
Retained: DeAndre Jordan
Depth Chart and Minutes Per Game
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Mike graduated from Boston University’s Dual Degree Program with a BA in Economics and a BS in Business with Concentrations in Marketing and Operations Management. He is a faithful supporter of Toronto sports and the Detroit Lions and is always ready to be let down. Tweet to him @Mike_Pandador, but if you badmouth Jose Calderon you might get blocked.
