NBA Writer Believes New Orleans Pelicans on Brink of Contention

An NBA writer has liked what the New Orleans Pelicans have done this season and believe they are on the brink of contention in the Western Conference.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green gives direction to his players on a time out against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans have done a solid job of improving each season under head coach Willie Green. After winning only 36 games in the 2021-22 regular season, the team was able to play through the NBA Play-In Tournament and earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

In Year 2 under Green, the Pelicans improved to 42 victories but missed the playoffs. This past season, they won 49 games, earning the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Their stay in the postseason did not last long as the Thunder swept them. Knowing that a change needed to be made, David Griffin got to work on upgrading the roster.

The biggest move, to this point, that has been made was acquiring guard Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks. New Orleans has a ton of assets built up from previous trades and the time to cash in on some of them is now.

Griffin’s next order of business will be figuring out the Brandon Ingram situation. Entering the final season of his current contract, trade rumors have swirled around him for the last few weeks.

Depending on what happens with Ingram will greatly impact the team’s outlook for the 2024-25 season. But, in the opinion of Zach Harper of The Athletic, the Pelicans are right on the cusp of contention.

Harper recently put together power rankings following the 2024 NBA Draft and the start of free agency. New Orleans is on the move, coming in at No. 7; in his previous rankings, the Pelicans were No. 9.

That puts them near the top of the second tier in the NBA, on the brink of contention. They are the top team from the Western Conference in this section, behind only the New York Knicks at No. 6.

“I think they did, but the Pelicans still need an answer at center with the departure of Valančiūnas. I love the addition of Murray. He didn’t fix the Hawks’ defensive issues, but he will absolutely bolster an elite defense in the NBA (New Orleans ranked sixth last season). I like the Theis addition, but I’m not sure New Orleans can utilize him as its full-time center. We have to see what happens with Brandon Ingram due to the team's perimeter logjam," Harper wrote.

New Orleans’ depth chart at center from last season is gone. As Harper noted, Jonas Valanciuas departed in free agency, signing a deal with the Washington Wizards; Larry Nance Jr. was traded to the Hawks in the Murray deal.

Addressing the need in the middle could come via an Ingram swap. The market for him is difficult to navigate given the new CBA in the NBA, but ideally, New Orleans would bring back an established big man to give first-round pick Yves Missi some more time to develop.