What Went Wrong With the Pelicans’ Rebuild?

The New Orleans Pelicans’ parade of frustrations didn’t take long to begin marching this season.

In the fourth quarter of the team’s opening game, prized trade acquisition Dejounte Murray fell to the court and broke his left hand.

Little did anyone know that those 17 games the star point guard ultimately missed would hardly be the worst thing to hit the Pels in their star-crossed campaign. In hindsight, Murray’s broken hand wouldn’t be the worst to happen to him in 2024-25.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong. You could blame injuries that sidelined marquee power forward Zion Williamson, defensive ace Herb Jones, and departing all-star Brandon Ingram. Injuries happen, sure, but they usually don’t take out half of your starting lineup.

You could blame coaching, as head coach Willie Green has yet to reassure fans that he’s the right man for the job. And moves by the front office, led by general manager David Griffin, haven’t inspired confidence. While Griffin continues to build competitive teams on paper, glaring weaknesses in the roster remain obvious even to casual fans.

But this season is just the latest to disappoint. To truly understand the Pelicans’ current struggles, you must dial back the clock to 2019 and revisit the moment that profoundly altered the franchise’s trajectory: the Anthony Davis trade.

The Anthony Davis Trade and Its Lingering Effects

Former number one overall pick Anthony Davis was the face of the franchise for nearly seven years. ‘

It’s a shame the Pels only made the playoffs twice during his tenure in the Big Easy, but that reflects the bad luck, lackluster coaching, and front-office incompetence that have plagued the organization for years.

Davis’ time in New Orleans was filled with injuries and disappointment, so it wasn’t surprising when the disgruntled star requested a trade during the 2018-2019 season. However, how he handled the trade request left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths. That was best summed up when he wore a “That’s All Folks!” graphic t-shirt as he walked into the Smoothie King Center for one of his final games as a Pel.

He got his wish a few days later when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks, one of which was the fourth overall selection in the upcoming draft.

At the time, this trade seemed like a solid move for the Pelicans, providing them with a young core to build around. They got a rising star in Brandon Ingram, a playmaking guard in Lonzo, and a solid defensive and rebounding hustle monster in Josh Hart.

However, in hindsight, it’s safe to say that the Lakers came out on top of this deal. They won a long-awaited championship with the help of the dynamic duo of AD and LeBron James, albeit in a pandemic-riddled 2020 season.

It took several years, but recently, the Pels finally parted with all the assets they acquired in that blockbuster deal. Lonzo Ball remains injury-prone and is looking to revive his career with the Bulls, while Josh Hart is a key piece on a competitive New York Knicks team.

RELATED: Josh Hart Could Play in Any NBA Era

Ingram, the longest-tenured player from this deal, remained with the Pelicans for several seasons until earlier this month when he was sent to the Toronto Raptors for two picks and role players, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk — an underwhelming return in the eyes of many Pels fans.

The Zion Era: Hope and Frustration

Anthony Davis’s unfilled hope was not the only peak that turned into a valley for the Pels.

Just when it seemed like the team was stuck in mediocrity, their luck changed in a big way when they beat the odds to win the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery.

This seemed like a massive win for the organization, as they selected Zion Williamson with the number one overall pick. Coming out of Duke, Zion was seen as a “generational” prospect whose dominant abilities set him apart from others in his draft class.

His arrival provided a much-needed jolt for the organization, and for the first time in a long while, there was hope.

But Zion’s tenure with the team didn’t start well, as he tore his meniscus before playing a single regular-season game. This would become a pattern. Just as he began to find his groove, a fluky injury derailed his development.

On top of that, there have been constant stories of him being out of shape, late to team flights, and having attitude issues. The front office hasn’t done Zion any favors, either, considering their poor draft history during his tenure.

Pelicans Draft Woes and Front Office Missteps

Let’s examine some of these mistakes.

In 2019, the team selected Jaxson Hayes with the eighth overall pick. He was a raw prospect with intriguing physical tools who was expected to develop into a formidable starting center.

That never happened, and he was let go after his rookie deal expired. They drafted guard Kira Lewis Jr. with the 13th pick the following year. He was seen as a high-risk prospect with quicksilver speed, comparable to NBA speedsters like De’Aaron Fox.

This pick proved to be a bust, as Lewis was out of New Orleans after four underwhelming seasons. While the Pelicans did find hidden gems in second-round pick Herb Jones and undrafted guard Jose Alvarado in 2021, that doesn’t erase Griffin’s questionable draft selections.

One of Griffin’s better draft picks, defensive-minded combo guard Dyson Daniels, is now flourishing, just not for the Pels. He was the focal point of the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to NOLA.

While Daniels appears to be developing into a key role player for the Atlanta Hawks, the Pelicans side of the trade has turned into a nightmare. After recovering from his broken hand, shaking off the rust, and finding his groove, Murray suffered a devastating non-contact injury.

Murray recently had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that often leads players to a shell of their former selves.

The Never-Ending Rebuild

All of these unfortunate circumstances have once again put the Pelicans out of contention for the playoffs but in contention for another lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

Let the never-ending rebuild continue.