New Orleans Pelicans Applauded for Impressive Offseason

The New Orleans Pelicans offseason was viewed as a great one after trading for Dejounte Murray.

Apr 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) dunks the ball on Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at United Center. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans made one of the biggest moves of the offseason when they traded for Dejounte Murray. It came as a surprise when it was announced, but the Pelicans found a favorable deal and decided to buy low on a player who could make a major impact for them.

Murray was once one of the top defensive guards in basketball. His defense took somewhat of a hit over the past few years with the Atlanta Hawks, although that could've been due to playing around below-average defenders and having to make up for what Trae Young doesn't do on that side of the court.

New Orleans' biggest loss this summer was Jonas Valanciunas. He was not only was their starting center, but was perhaps the only competent one on this roster.

Entering the middle of July, they still have a major need at that position despite signing Daniel Theis and inking a deal with their 2022 draft pick. If they don't figure that out, though, it'll be interesting to see how this year plays out.

Despite not having a starting center on the roster, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report gave them a B+ for their offseason.

"New Orleans still has real questions to answer at center following the departure of Jonas Valančiūnas, but the rest of the rotation is definitely better. Still, the Pelicans' ceiling is almost entirely tied to the availability of Zion Williamson. If Zion plays and looks like the fringe MVP candidate we've seen for stretches of his career, the Pelicans should make the playoffs. Without him—or that version of him—they'll likely be stuck in the middle of the conference."

Bailey's assessment of the roster is spot on, as the Pelicans will only be as good as Zion Williamson is. The other moves are impressive, and they could help, but if he isn't healthy then there's not much of a chance they will have the season they're looking to accomplish.

That's exactly why adding a center is an even bigger deal than it might seem.

With Williamson, everything the team does has to be built around trying to keep him healthy. If for any reason they have to play him prolonged minutes at the five, the risk of injury increases.

It's unlikely he has to do that, but if New Orleans starts some combination of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Murray, Williamson, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy, then their oft-injured star would be the logical fit at center.

That's a problem.

With that in mind, expect them to make some sort of move to fill that void, as it's a massive one.