Pelicans Notes: Head Coach, Offseason, Zion, Queen, Draft
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars confirmed that the team will embark on a head coaching search and that in-season replacement James Borrego will be a candidate for the permanent job, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required).
“What makes him a viable candidate is his ability to communicate with the team every day and to do it in a positive way every day,” Dumars said of Borrego, who took over for Willie Green in November. “What James did well this year was never let the building completely collapse. He always tried to keep the team up and positive. That’s exactly what you want to see, especially in a situation where he took over and it could have slid.”
Names like Darvin Ham, Kevin Ollie, and Jamahl Mosley have also been connected to the Pelicans’ head coaching position, but Dumars suggested the team isn’t far enough along in the process to have a list of legitimate candidates yet.
“Some of the stuff you wake up and see in this seat is so far-fetched and not even remotely close to being true. I saw a lot of that this year, if I’m being honest. I saw names pop up in trades. I saw coaches lists,” Dumars said. “We don’t even have a list like that right now. We have got names that we’ve been talking about.
“Sometimes I’m just thinking, ‘Where is that coming from?’ It’s amazing. We are going to go through this process the right way. We are going to figure out what’s best for New Orleans.”
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- Rather than citing specific positions or skills the Pelicans will be targeting this offseason, Dumars pointed to a certain mentality that he’ll be focusing on as he and the front office consider roster additions, per Walker. “I would add more toughness to this team,” he said. “We have to be able to compete every night. We cannot get banged around, pushed around. We have to be physical and compete every night. There were some nights we did it, but too many nights we didn’t compete at a high enough level for me. You can’t get past that in this league. We have talent. But if you think you’re just going to roll talent out on an NBA court and that’s all you need to do to win, that’s not going to happen.”
- Dumars told reporters, including Walker, that he doesn’t believe the Pelicans are that far away from being a winning team and that he’d not anticipating a protracted rebuilding process. “We had a tremendous amount of very close games that we should have won,” he said. “When you have that many games where you are right there to win and you don’t know yet how to close out games, that’s different than getting blown out by 20 every night. When you get blown out by 20 every night, I’ve got to look around the room with staff and scouts and say, ‘We are not good enough, we are not talented enough and don’t have enough depth to win here.’ I don’t feel that. I feel that we are close enough. But it takes some work.”
- Asked about whether Zion Williamson and Derik Queen can play alongside one another in the Pelicans’ frontcourt, Dumars – who dismissed the idea of seeking a Williamson trade this offseason – suggested that he’s willing to be patient and give the duo a chance to prove it can succeed. “I always chuckle when people ask, ‘Can they play together?'” the veteran executive said, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. “You’ve got to allow people to grow in this league. I didn’t know if I could fit with (former Pistons guard) Isiah (Thomas) or not. But I knew we had great IQs and we could figure it out. Sometimes, you’ve got to let players figure it out.”
- New Orleans doesn’t control its own first-round pick, having traded it to Atlanta last year in order to draft Queen. However, Dumars expressed confidence in the Pelicans’ ability to acquire a first-rounder this June if they want to, tweets Guillory. Of course, trading into the back half of the first round is far more realistic than getting back into the lottery.
Pelicans’ Dumars: ‘No Intentions’ Of Trading Zion Williamson
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson told reporters on Monday that he hopes to remain in New Orleans going forward. On Tuesday, executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars suggested in his own end-of-season press conference that the former No. 1 overall pick will get his wish.
“We have no intentions of doing that,” Dumars responded when asked about the possibility of trading Williamson this summer (subscriber-only story via Rod Walker of NOLA.com). “We are going into the offseason looking forward to Zion coming back next year and playing great again next year.”
Williamson, who was limited to 30 games in 2024/25 due primarily to hamstring and adductor strains, had a healthier year in ’25/26, making 62 appearances and averaging 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. It was just the third time in seven NBA seasons that the 25-year-old has been able to play in at least half of New Orleans’ games.
The fact that he avoided major injuries this season and has just two seasons remaining on his five-year, maximum-salary contract should give Williamson’s trade value a bump entering the summer, but it doesn’t sound as if Dumars is eager to pursue a deal.
Obviously, the Pelicans’ head of basketball operations isn’t under oath when he’s speaking to reporters, so there’s nothing to stop him from stating that he plans to keep Williamson and then changing his mind later in the offseason. But it’s worth noting that Dumars gave the former Duke star a similar vote of support early in the 2025 offseason, shutting down the trade rumors surrounding Zion at that time, and he ultimately stuck to his vow that Williamson would open the 2025/26 season with the team.
More trade rumors swirled around Williamson during the season, but he once again stayed put, and Dumars suggested on Tuesday that the Pelicans weren’t the ones initiating the discussions that led to those rumors.
“Those phone calls come in and people ask about a player and two hours later it comes out that you had a conversation about (trading) a player,” Dumars said. “But you left out the most important part. We said no.”
Because he appeared in 61-plus games this season, Williamson’s 2026/27 salary of $42.2MM is at least 80% guaranteed entering the offseason — it would be fully guaranteed if he meets certain weight-related benchmarks or if he remains under contract through July 15, which appears to be a lock. The Pelicans forward, who will be extension-eligible this offseason, will make $44.9MM in 2027/28 and would reach unrestricted free agency in ’28 if he doesn’t sign a new contract before then.
Pelicans Notes: Zion, Bey, Murray, Borrego, Dumars, Offseason
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson saw his name pop up in several trade rumors leading up to the February deadline, but he made it clear at his Monday press conference that he hopes to stay with the team that selected him first overall in the 2019 draft, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press.
“New Orleans is home for me. I don’t say that because I’m sitting in front of these cameras,” said Williamson, who has two seasons left on his maximum-salary contract. “When the offseason hits, a lot of guys leave the city. I live here. … I’ve been here since I was 19.”
While Williamson was pleased he was able to play 62 games this season, he said his play during was 2025/26 was just “OK” and was disappointed the team went just 22-40 when he was in the lineup (26-56 overall), Martel writes. The 25-year-old said he “100%” trusts head of basketball operations Joe Dumars, and hopes to play at least 75 games next season with an eye on making the playoffs.
Williamson plans to talk to Dumars, “other Hall of Famers” and “other championship players” in pursuit of the latter goal, Martel notes.
“I’m looking to take a different approach because it’s frustrating getting up here every year and not being in the playoffs — and I’ll take my responsibility in that. I definitely hold myself accountable,” Williamson said. “So, it’s time to start taking different approaches, gaining what knowledge I can and working on different things. I have to use the resources that I can to reach out and seek the information — seek the knowledge that I need.”
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- When asked about a potential contract extension this summer, forward Saddiq Bey suggested he’s interested in staying with New Orleans long term, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. “I want to be here. The people in my circle know I want to be here as long as possible,” said Bey. The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $6.44MM in 2026/27.
- Veteran guard Dejounte Murray refuted speculation that he returned to action this season just to rebuild his trade value, per Guillory (Twitter link). Murray tore his Achilles tendon on January 31, 2025, and made his season debut on February 24 of this year. The former All-Star said he hopes to stay with the Pelicans and is committed to the team, Guillory adds.
- Interim head coach James Borrego said Monday that he hadn’t spoken to Dumars about becoming the permanent coach, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. New Orleans is reportedly conducting a coaching search, with Borrego among the candidates for the job. “We’ve just been focusing on the day in and the task and the season,” Borrego said. “We didn’t get into the weeds of what’s next and what’s coming. We have had an initial conversation more on the reflection of the season and just looking back at what did we do well and what are some areas of improvement. Those conversations have started. That’s been our initial conversation. Where it goes from there we will see.” Dumars will address the media Tuesday, per Walker.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the Pelicans’ offseason (YouTube link), noting that the team doesn’t control a 2026 first-round pick after trading its own last year to move up and acquire Derik Queen. Marks says he’d consider extending Bey, though he wouldn’t offer him the full amount he’s eligible for (a projected $93MM over four years). Marks also expects the Pelicans to decline their $8MM team option on Kevon Looney for next season due to their financial situation, and says he’d be surprised if the front office runs back the same roster in ’26/27.
Southwest Notes: Kidd, Cuban, Zion, Clarke, Memphis
Responding in more detail on Friday to the implication that he was involved in last season’s decision to trade Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd refuted Mark Cuban‘s statements and reiterated that he wasn’t informed of the blockbuster deal that shocked the NBA until an agreement was in place, per Christian Clark of The Athletic and Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“Cuban has mentioned that I knew about the trade,” Kidd said. “Unfortunately, as I have said, I was not part of the process. I was informed at the 11th hour. And that’s the truth.”
Cuban, the Mavs’ former majority owner who is now a minority shareholder in the franchise, made a reference during a recent podcast appearance to “our coach and general manager” trading Doncic. According to Kidd, he called Cuban “right away” to discuss those remarks and stressed that he was telling the truth about his involvement – or lack thereof – in Dallas’ controversial trade with the Lakers.
“I was called (by former Mavs GM) Nico (Harrison into) the room, and he told me that there was a trade that was going to go public at 11 o’clock,” Kidd explained. “That’s what happened. That’s the details of the conversation. I waited until 11 o’clock, and that trade, the world changed.”
In a subscriber-only column for The Dallas Morning News, Tim Cowlishaw argues that by implicating Kidd, Cuban is ignoring his own involvement in the most unpopular transaction in team history — after all, the ownership group that Cuban sold control of the team to had final say on the deal.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- By appearing in his 61st game of the season on Friday, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has now ensured that at least 80% of his $42.17MM salary for 2026/27 will be guaranteed entering the offseason, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The remaining 20% would be guaranteed if Williamson meets certain weight-related benchmarks or if he remains under contract through at least July 15, which should be a lock.
- Lucas Finton of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has more details on Brandon Clarke‘s arrest in Arkansas, reporting that the Grizzlies forward led local deputies on a “miles-long chase” and was driving over 100 miles per hour. When he was eventually stopped, over 230 grams of kratom were found in his possession, per an arrest affidavit. Kratom, described by the Mayo Clinic as a herbal extract that can act as a stimulant at lower doses and a sedative for pain relief at higher doses, is legal in Tennessee but is considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance in Arkansas.
- Lakers star LeBron James drew the ire of NBA fans in Memphis when he suggested in the latest episode of the Bob Does Sports YouTube show that the Grizzlies should move from Memphis to Nashville, as Devon Henderson of The Athletic and Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal detail. “Staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old, you think I want to do that s—?” James said. “Being in Memphis on a random-ass Thursday. I’m not even the first guy to talk about this in the NBA. We’re all like, ‘You guys have to move.'”
Southwest Notes: Wemby, Harper, Zion, Rockets
In recent days, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lakers guard Luka Doncic have each declined when given the opportunity to campaign for Most Valuable Players honors. However, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama doesn’t regret arguing his own case for MVP last week. In fact, he doubled down on Wednesday night after a monster game in Golden State in which he had 41 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks on 16-of-22 shooting in just 29 minutes.
“I do care deeply about (the MVP award),” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt (story via Anthony Slater of ESPN.com). “I think that of the greats that are in the Hall of Fame — or the best of all time — they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career. If I want to make my spot among the greats, I got to try to not miss any occasion to put my name up there.”
The Spurs have gone 26-2 since the start of February and Wembanyama has played some of his best basketball as of late, including averaging 30.0 points and 15.8 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game in his past five outings. However, the Thunder – winners of 15 of their last 16 games – and Gilgeous-Alexander (three 40-point games in his last eight contests) have been just as hot, so the OKC guard remains the betting favorite for MVP.
Still, as Slater writes, even if he isn’t named MVP, Wembanyama is a lock to claim the Defensive Player of the Year award. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr referred to the Spurs star on Wednesday as “obviously the best defensive player in the league.”
“He’s got unbelievable confidence now,” Kerr said. “He looks like he knows exactly what to do on both ends. His first couple years, he looked young at times. He doesn’t look young anymore. He just looks like he knows exactly what he’s doing. Dominated the glass. There’s plays you can’t do anything. Several lobs where it looked like a Nerf hoop. He’s brilliant.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Last year’s No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper is averaging just 22.3 minutes per game this season, far below what fellow top-five picks like Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knueppel are playing. However, the Spurs guard tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that playing rotation minutes for a team with the potential to make a deep playoff run makes the trade-off well worth it. “That’s every kid’s dream, to play on the big stages,” Harper said. “I might come off the bench, but in a month or so, I will be playing in the playoffs. Not many rookies can say that they can do that at a high level and play meaningful minutes.”
- While Zion Williamson‘s camp hasn’t been given any indication that the Pelicans will look to trade him this summer, many outside observers are expecting it to happen, given the forward’s injury history and his awkward fit alongside new cornerstone Derik Queen, writes Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports. For his part, Williamson recognizes his long-term future in New Orleans is far from assured. “New Orleans is home for me. It’s where I want to be,” he told Weitzman. “But at the end of the day, if we’re going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before (next season’s) trade deadline. Not that I want that to happen, but that’s just the realism of it.”
- Rockets head coach Ime Udoka inserted Tari Eason into his starting five on Tuesday vs. New York for matchup purposes before Reed Sheppard reclaimed his starting role on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, as Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle details in a pair of subscriber-only stories. The moves paid dividends — the starting lineup with Eason outscored the Knicks 43-25 in 14 minutes in Tuesday’s win, while the same group with Sheppard outscored the Bucks 39-21 in just under 13 minutes in Wednesday’s victory. “(We) want to formulate what we want to go to this late in the season and getting into the playoffs,” Udoka said of his lineup tweaks. “Got five, six more games to figure that out.”
Southwest Notes: Middleton, Mavericks, Zion, Sengun
Khris Middleton helped the Mavericks snap an eight-game losing streak during Thursday’s victory at Memphis, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com. The veteran small forward had a season-high 35 points (on 10-of-17 shooting) in just 25 minutes, with 22 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.
According to Price, Middleton’s 35 points are the most by a Mavs reserve since Rodrigue Beaubois had 40 in March 2010.
“It was a good feeling,” Middleton said, referring to his fourth-quarter explosion. “I think it’s a better feeling to get a win after the last couple of losses, but definitely once you get a couple going like that in the fourth quarter like I did, it feels good.
“But you got to give credit to my teammates again for the screens and just trying to find me and trying to get me going. You just feel like anything that you shoot or throw up there it’s got a chance to go in, so I’m a shooter and you get a couple to go down you keep firing.”
Middleton will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension before the new league year begins on July 1.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, Christian Clark answers a handful of questions about the Mavericks, including the team’s search for a permanent general manager and the future of Kyrie Irving. Clark expects Irving, who won’t play this season as he recovers from a torn ACL, to be in a Mavs uniform in 2026/27 no matter who Dallas selects in June’s draft.
- Zion Williamson‘s salary for 2026/27 is now 60% guaranteed after he made his 51st appearance of the season on Friday, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter links). The Pelicans forward will have another 20% of his $42.2MM salary for next season guaranteed if he reaches the 61-game mark, with the final 20% hinging on whether he meets certain weight criteria specified in his contract, Marks adds.
- Rockets center Alperen Sengun was sidelined for Friday’s contest vs. New Orleans due to lower back pain, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. It’s unclear if the two-time All-Star will miss additional time as a result of the ailment.
Southwest Notes: Jordan, Murray, Sheppard, Prosper
After signing with the Pelicans at the start of the regular season, veteran center DeAndre Jordan made two appearances in his first week on the roster in October, then didn’t see any action until after last month’s All-Star break. He has played regular minutes since then, earning five starts and logging double-digit minutes in each of New Orleans’ past six games.
Even before his return to the rotation, Jordan “elevated our program tremendously,” according to interim head coach James Borrego, who spoke glowingly about the the 37-year-old’s leadership and “massive impact” on the Pelicans’ locker room, per Mark Medina of EssentiallySports.
“He has a high standard,” Borrego said. “He’s the first one to show up. Pregame, he does his work. Then you add the leadership piece. He’s wrapped his arms around the vets. He’s wrapped his arms around the young guys. … He’s brought us an edge and a physicality. He’s a massive and tremendous communicator. I think that’s what we’re trying to get our young guys to develop more. That’s the ability to communicate, especially for bigs. It’s massive. To look like a big defense or be a good defense, you have to talk, especially from that five spot. He does it as well as anybody.”
Despite not seeing the floor for over three-and-a-half months and playing for a team that opened the season by losing 31 of its first 39 games, Jordan hasn’t been discouraged by his situation or the modest role he has been asked to take on, he told Medina.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve embraced that locker room leader and mentor kind of role,” Jordan said. “Whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready to play and contribute in any way that I can in the days that I’m not playing. I encourage my teammates. I’ll criticize them when it’s necessary. I let them know about things that I see on the floor. I give them knowledge back.
“… We don’t want to be complacent and okay with losing nine or 10 games in a row. But we’ve had a lot of young guys who are playing big minutes early. So it’s about being able to get them some familiarity with the NBA and the speed and the sets and coverages. So that next year when we’re a healthy team, and these guys have a full rookie season under their belt, we’ll be better.”
Asked how much longer he hopes to play, Jordan – who is in his 18th NBA season – said it’s long been a goal to get to 20 seasons in the league if he can.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray has been effective since returning from his year-long absence due to an Achilles tear, scoring at least 13 points in each of his first four games, but he’s still not ready to play in back-to-back contests. Murray has been ruled out for Thursday’s matchup with Sacramento, the first of a back-to-back, due to “return to competition conditioning,” according to the team. Forwards Trey Murphy III (neck spasm) and Zion Williamson (right ankle sprain) are both considered questionable to suit up.
- With Reed Sheppard playing some of the best basketball of his career recently in an increased role, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports and William Guillory of The Athletic examine the strides the Rockets guard is making in his second NBA season and consider what his role will look like once starters Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. return from injuries. “My teammates are giving me the space to grow, and they’re pushing me to be aggressive. That’s made it a lot easier for me,” Sheppard told Guillory. “It hasn’t always been perfect, but I’m working to fix the mistakes. I know I can play an important role for us to get where we want to go.”
- The second year of Olivier-Maxence Prosper‘s new two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Grizzlies is a team option, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Prosper’s rest-of-season salary is $527,879, while his 2026/27 option is worth $2,497,812.
And-Ones: Fizdale, Gambling Trial, VanVleet, Extensions
In an appearance on the Run It Back podcast (Twitter video link), David Fizdale claims that he and Knicks management worked out a plan to tank when he was their head coach during the 2018/19 season to improve their chances of drafting Zion Williamson or Ja Morant (hat tip to NJ.com). Fizdale also states that management promised him that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be joining the team as free agents the following summer.
“The plan that we came up with, I was all in on that, and I was like this is the deal and this is the way to go about it. It just didn’t come to fruition,” Fizdale said. “… Losing all them damn games, donating my record to get Zion Williamson or Ja.”
No part of the strategy worked out, as New York landed the third pick in the draft after going 17-65 and wound up taking RJ Barrett, who was later traded to Toronto. Durant and Irving opted to team up in Brooklyn, believing they had a better shot to win a ring with the Nets instead of the Knicks. Fizdale was fired 22 games into the following season after the team got off to a 4-18 start.
“If I was doing it over again, I would have fought more to build a team early on and not cash in my record,” Fizdale added. “That’s the hard part for coaches when you agree to the … tanking. When you tank, you’re supposed to build something bigger. It’s not supposed to be a tank to whatever happens. … That’s not the formula.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- A federal judge has set a trial date of November 2 for Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and nearly three dozen co-defendants in a federal gambling case, according to Aaron Katersky of ESPN. A status hearing was held Wednesday at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn, and federal prosecutors and defense attorneys are working out how to handle proceedings with so many defendants. Prosecutors expect to extend plea offers at least 12 defendants over the next few days, and they said nine others are having “productive conversations” about pleading guilty. It’s not clear if Billups and Jones are among that group.
- In addition to working his way back from an ACL tear in his right knee, Fred VanVleet has the responsibilities of running the NBA Players Association. Tania Ganguli of The New York Times talks to VanVleet about getting the players united again after many felt betrayed by the latest collective bargaining agreement, which introduced the apron system.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscription required) examines a few players who may receive extensions before reaching free agency this summer, including Trae Young, Keon Ellis and Dean Wade.
Injury Notes: Booker, Highsmith, Zion, Jovic, Warriors
The Suns, who went just 4-7 in February as they dealt with injuries affecting multiple starters and rotation players, will get some reinforcements on Tuesday in Sacramento.
As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (via Twitter), star guard Devin Booker is no longer listed on Phoenix’s injury report after missing the past four games due to a right hip strain. While the Suns split those four games without Booker available, they were clearly missing their leading scorer, having ranked 29th in the NBA in offensive rating during that stretch.
Recently signed swingman Haywood Highsmith also isn’t included on the Suns’ latest injury report, Rankin notes, which suggests he should be ready to make his season debut. Highsmith underwent surgery to address a torn meniscus in his right knee last August and experienced a setback in his rehab in October. He was traded from Miami to Brooklyn last offseason, was waived by the Nets last month, and signed with the Suns as he ramped up to return to action.
Two of Phoenix’s top wing defenders – Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) and Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) – remain out, so Highsmith should get a shot to earn rotation minutes now that he’s healthy.
We have more health-related updates from around the NBA:
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson sat out on Sunday due to an ankle sprain, ending his career-high streak of 35 consecutive games played, but he’s listed as questionable to play on Tuesday vs. the Lakers and told Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter video link) he expects to suit up. Williamson will be motivated to appear in at least 16 of New Orleans’ final 20 games this season, since doing so would ensure he locks in at least 80% of his $42.2MM salary for 2026/27 (the remaining 20% could become guaranteed if he meets weight-related benchmarks).
- Heat forward/center Nikola Jovic will miss a fifth consecutive game on Tuesday due to a lower back injury, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jovic says he doesn’t have any disk issues and doesn’t think the ailment is related to the stress reaction in his back that sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2022/23 season, but he admitted he’s struggling with the injury. “My back doesn’t feel good,” Jovic said. “The scan shows I got some inflammation, and one of my nerves doesn’t look great right now.”
- Warriors wing Moses Moody, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the Clippers on Monday, jammed his wrist and injured his shoulder, according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said Moody will be evaluated further on Tuesday (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
- Kristaps Porzingis missed a fifth straight game with an illness on Monday and it’s unclear when the Warriors big man will return to action, Friedell writes for The Athletic. “It’s a little mysterious,” Kerr said of Porzingis’ illness. “We’re obviously working with him, and he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through, and he can get to a point where he’s consistently healthy, but that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him. I’m not going to posit any medical theories anymore.”
Pelicans Notes: Bey, Fears, Murphy, Zion, Alvarado
The NBA doesn’t have a comeback player of the year award like the NFL, but if it did, Saddiq Bey would be among the frontrunners, says Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
The Pelicans wing missed the entire 2024/25 while recovering from a torn ACL, but he has been highly productive in his first season in New Orleans, averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .455/.355/.853 shooting splits in 54 appearances, including 46 starts (30.8 minutes per game).
Bey scored a season-high 42 points (on 14-of-20 shooting) in Thursday’s victory at Utah. He also contributed seven assists and five rebounds in 34 minutes.
As Walker writes, Bey was something of an afterthought in the offseason trade that sent Jordan Poole to New Orleans and CJ McCollum to Washington. But the 26-year-old has been one of the Pelicans’ best players this season, which interim head coach James Borrego admits he “didn’t envision” entering ’25/26.
“He deserves the credit because he works on it every day,” Borrego said. “He does not take a day for granted. I think all of us should learn from Saddiq. He values every day. Every day he gets to walk into an NBA gym, he values it. And he treats it with great care and respect. … He’s really elevated this program.”
Here’s more from New Orleans:
- Borrego praised Jeremiah Fears after the rookie guard recorded his second career double-double in Saturday’s victory in Utah, according to Walker. “His poise, his play-making settled us,” said Borrego. “His pace. You felt him early. Especially when he rebounds like that, we’re gone. To rebound like that at his size and position just fuels our offense. And he continues to grow defensively, making havoc plays out there. I see a focused young man. I thought he was fantastic tonight.” Fears, the seventh overall pick in last year’s draft, finished with 18 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, and five assists in 34 minutes off the bench.
- The Pelicans will get their leading scorer back on Sunday, as Trey Murphy III has been upgraded to available for tonight’s game at the Clippers after missing five straight games with a right shoulder contusion (press release link). Forward Zion Williamson, who exited Saturday’s game in the second quarter with a right ankle injury and didn’t return, is questionable Sunday on the second of a back-to-back.
- In an interview with William Guillory of The Athletic, Jose Alvarado said it was “bittersweet” to be traded to his hometown Knicks ahead of the deadline. The former Pelicans guard also detailed his close bond with New Orleans and its fans. “They felt the love that I had for the city and it was real love,” Alvarado told The Athletic. “There was nothing fake about it. New Orleans will always be home to me. I always said New Orleans is a gritty, tough city and you can never knock them down. We saw Mother Nature, whoever, try to bring New Orleans down and they always rise back up with their head high. I just think that’s how I carry myself, also, and they saw that in me. Obviously, where I grew up is very different from New Orleans, but I feel like my mindset is very similar to a lot of people from there. They saw how I play and how much passion I show every time I’m out there. That’s how they want somebody to represent the city. They showed me genuine love and I always tried to show the same thing to them.”