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New Orleans Pelicans head coach Jamahl Mosley's postgame interview after the Pelicans' game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, Oct. 28 during the 2026-27 NBA season.

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Jamahl Mosley | Pelicans vs Nuggets Postgame Interview 10/28/26

Jim Eichenhofer

Trey Murphy is collecting receipts. He has the evidence to prove it in his cell phone.

With national media outlets including ESPN and NBA.com recently labeling the New Orleans Pelicans the 14th-best team in the Western Conference (out of 15 clubs), the fifth-year forward has taken note of the multitude of negative opinions, storing them in one file. Any time he needs to be reminded of what naysayers are predicting for 2025-26 and his squad, it’s all there.

“I have a photo album in my phone that has every slight against the Pelicans or myself,” said Murphy at Tuesday’s Media Day, when he was asked if he uses the pessimism as motivation. “I think that answers your question.”

Murphy may need additional data storage to maintain and update his collection of bad-mouthing of New Orleans. Since draft night, many NBA podcasters, writers and TV talking heads have continually anticipated worst-case scenarios for the Pelicans. ESPN.com recently projected a 26-56 record, only a five-win improvement from the team’s 21-61 mark last season, which came largely as the result of rampant key injuries.

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Trey Murphy III interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

A group of multi-year Pelicans veterans — including Murphy, Zion Williamson, Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado — had grown accustomed to winning, having gone 49-33 two seasons ago and 42-40 in 2022-23. Prior to last season, New Orleans had reached the playoffs (2022, 2024) or play-in tournament (2023) for three consecutive campaigns.

“This team (two) years ago was on the verge of doing something special,” Pelicans center Kevon Looney said, having signed as a free agent in July after 10 seasons and three NBA championships with Golden State. “They were taking the right steps. Last year was just a blip, a year we can bounce back from and get back on the right path. We have a lot of talent. We can be a playoff team.”

NBA analysts tend to disagree with Looney’s opinion. Across the Internet and on TV airwaves, prognosticators are saying New Orleans will be hard-pressed to even place in the top 10 of the West or win more than 30-ish games.

“I don’t care what they predict,” second-year center Karlo Matkovic said of those projections. “Sometimes you will see some crazy stuff. I’m only caring about what’s going to happen in this building and with my people.”

“Stay over there,” forward Zion Williamson said of those who may doubt that the Pelicans can have a successful season. “We don’t want validation. You don’t have to waste your time (changing your opinion later).”

Some Pelicans players, including Jones, have chosen not to care about NBA media sentiment, an approach he’s consistently taken since his pro debut. Unlike Murphy, he’d prefer to ignore the discussion.

“Some people can (focus on it), but I try not to pay attention to anything anybody says about the Pelicans,” Jones said. “Just to keep a clear mind. Coming in to work, I don’t want to be worried about what somebody said we may finish, or how many wins (we will have). Time will tell. I’m confident in our team.”

Third-year guard Jordan Hawkins also was not aware of skeptical national perception toward the Pelicans this summer. However, as New Orleans tries to bounce back from a frustrating 2024-25 and return to being a highly competitive team in the West, Hawkins noted a past experience from his college career that explains why he’s never preoccupied with preseason forecasts.

“I wasn’t aware,” Hawkins said, when told that the Pelicans are being picked to finish near the bottom of the standings. “But we won a championship at UConn (in 2023). We weren’t even ranked in the top 25 before the season started. I’ll leave it at that.”

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

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Willie Green interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

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Zion Williamson interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

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Herb Jones interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

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Jordan Poole interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

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Jordan Hawkins interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

New Orleans Pelicans center/forward Karlo Matković addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

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Karlo Matković interview | 2025 Pelicans Media Day

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After an injury-plagued season, Pelicans have something to prove in 2025-26

Pelicans.com

This offseason, our colleagues at Mavs.com gathered a panel of writers from every Southwest Division franchise to break down what’s ahead for their team. In this special five-part preview, we tackle a handful of burning questions — from each club’s biggest reason for optimism, to major offseason moves, to how the schedule might impact results. Here’s Part 2 of the division roundtable preview for 2025-26.

Given the general competitiveness of the five Southwest Division franchises during this decade, it’s been somewhat rare for the handful of teams to capitalize on the annual draft, often selecting later in Round 1. That made the 2025 NBA Draft a potentially future-altering event – as a result of significant lottery luck in May, Dallas and San Antonio moved into the top two spots, selecting promising forward Cooper Flagg and guard Dylan Harper in June, respectively. Partly through trades, New Orleans (No. 7 and 13 picks) and Memphis (No. 11) also added lottery selections. Houston ultimately jettisoned its Round 1 pick to Phoenix, but that deal resulted in the acquisition of future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant. Add it up, and there are a myriad of new faces to watch on the division’s five rosters.

Some of the offseason moves are clearly major-impact moves. Catch us up on the biggest moves and, if appropriate, give us an under-the-radar move or two that could have a big effect on your team.

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In terms of immediate impact, the biggest transaction for New Orleans brought veterans Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey to town, in exchange for 30-somethings CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk. The shift from McCollum to Poole could be fascinating to watch, with Poole likely needing to replace some of the offense McCollum brought to the lineup. They’re similar guards in some ways, but very different in others, with Poole providing more on-ball juice and playmaking, but needing to maintain the improvement in scoring efficiency he displayed last season with Washington. The Pelicans gained experience, rebounding and paint defense by signing center Kevon Looney, a former Poole teammate with the Warriors who becomes his new team’s oldest player at just 29. New Orleans needs to make big strides on the boards and defensively, dropping to 29th in the latter in 2024-25. Meanwhile, the Pelicans landed two players in the lottery, taking PG Jeremiah Fears at No. 7, then big man Derik Queen at No. 13 in a much-debated trade.

Cooper Flagg has a chance to be one of the best players in the NBA for many, many years. That alone is enough to make the Mavericks’ offseason a huge win. They have plans to let him handle the ball and with him on the floor alongside Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II, it might be the best defensive front line in the game. But there was more to the Mavericks’ summer. D’Angelo Russell is another marquee addition and he was a nice “get” for the front office. Clearly, other point guards like Chris Paul or Malcolm Brogdon weren’t good fits – either by their choice or the Mavericks’. So Russell, who has been a capable scorer and playmaker throughout his career, will take over at the point until Kyrie Irving returns from knee surgery. And, on the subtraction side, don’t underestimate what Spencer Dinwiddie did for this team. He played in more games (79) and logged more minutes (2,136) than any other Maverick last season. And that was after being a DNP-CD in Game 1. The Mavericks are hoping Russell fills that role when Irving returns. Until then, it’ll be up to perhaps Caleb Martin and Max Christie to absorb those minutes.

The headline of Houston’s summer is a no-brainer: The Rockets netted Durant without tearing apart the roster or sacrificing either of their two future first-round picks (2027 and 2029) that once belonged to the Suns. Although the Rockets gave up two starters in the Durant trade, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, they kept the rest of their rotation intact including five players drafted as first-round picks in the last four years. Houston also added a high-usage, 3-and-D wing in Dorian Finney-Smith, and depth in Clint Capela and Josh Okogie. But the Rockets’ sneakiest steals might have been convincing Fred VanVleet to take a pay cut and signing Steven Adams to a multiyear contract extension before he hit free agency. Both players are valued locker room leaders who were standout performers during last year’s playoff series. VanVleet will be critical to help replace the 3-point production of Green and Brooks (Editor's Note: VanVleet just sustained a torn ACL injury that could sideline him for the entire season), while Adams’ rebounding and ability to play alongside Alperen Şengün unlocks a deadly double-big lineup.

Desmond Bane’s departure via the trade to Orlando that brought back veteran 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a move that signaled the Grizzlies needed to consolidate their core after coming up short in the playoffs the past few seasons. That move also placed a heavier emphasis on the Morant-and-Jackson duo to recalibrate things and move forward with a deeper supporting cast. The signing of Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ty Jerome in free agency and the re-signings of Jackson and Santi Aldama give the Grizzlies legitimate balance and scoring from all areas of the court. Trading up into the lottery to select promising-but-still-

largely-unproven swingman Cedric Coward with the No. 11 pick gives the Grizzlies multiple options in the lineup and a level of versatility that should be intriguing.

The Spurs boasted one of the league’s best defenses with Wembanyama on the floor last season. When he was off the floor – even for a few minutes – Spurs opponents quickly found the layup line open at the rim. The club’s biggest offseason moves were made to address that issue with the signing of free agent big man Luke Kornet from Boston and, to a lesser extent, the trade of Kelly Olynyk from Washington. Only three other players in the NBA last season ranked better than Kornet in terms of rim defense. Wembanyama was one of them.

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NBA Southwest Division roundtable 2025-26 preview: Offseason Moves

Shoulder injuries are significantly more common in the NFL than they are in the NBA, but in a 2024-25 season filled with misfortune for New Orleans, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones both sustained torn right labrums. There was initial concern that the recovery process for the pair might also sideline them early in 2025-26, but on Monday, Pelicans top basketball executive Joe Dumars confirmed that Murphy and Jones are 100% healthy. The two talented wings have joined teammates in the club’s practice facility for the past 2-3 weeks, scrimmaging at full speed and playing 5-on-5.

“I’ve seen those guys get knocked down, crash to the floor, everything,” Dumars said, noting one sign that Murphy and Jones are physically ready for the upcoming season. Murphy, 25, sustained his season-ending injury March 17 in a collision with Detroit’s Ausar Thompson; the 26-year-old Jones did not play in a game after Jan. 8. As a result, Murphy and Jones only appeared in 53 and 20 games, respectively.

Meanwhile, Dumars said point guard Dejounte Murray (ruptured right Achilles) and rookie forward/center Derik Queen (torn ligament in left wrist) do not have exact return dates yet as they rehabilitate from their injuries. Murray missed the rest of the season after he was injured Jan. 31 vs. Boston; Queen was injured July 15 during a summer league game. In late July, Queen was given a 12-week timetable before he was set to be re-evaluated (projected to be in mid-October).

“Those guys are deep into their rehab,” Dumars said of Murray and Queen. “Obviously I can’t give a specific date for those guys right now...But I can tell you that their rehab has been going very well.”

Dumars confirmed that Murphy and Jones will play in preseason games and will be ready for the Oct. 22 regular season opener at Memphis.

“Obviously you monitor the preseason minutes as you get these guys back,” Dumars said. “But they’ve been fully cleared to go. It’s no-holds barred for those guys. They’re ready to go.”

Numerous Pelicans players have been in the Metairie practice facility this summer to do individual workouts or join fullcourt scrimmages. Dumars believes that has been critical to developing on-court chemistry prior to the official start of training camp this Wednesday. Pelicans Media Day is Tuesday, a week before most NBA teams host theirs, due to New Orleans traveling to Australia this weekend for preseason games that will be played there on Oct. 3 and 5.

“The summer is so important, because you need to start seeing these guys play together and get used to each other before you get to training camp,” Dumars said of voluntary offseason gatherings of players. “So for the last month or so, a lot of these guys have been playing together, (including) Zion (Williamson). That’s really why the month leading up to training camp becomes so important.”

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Joe Dumars 2025-26 Preseason Press Conference

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Joe Dumars says Trey Murphy, Herb Jones fully recovered from shoulder injuries

This offseason, our colleagues at Mavs.com gathered a panel of writers from every Southwest Division franchise to break down what’s ahead for their team. In this special five-part preview, we tackle a handful of burning questions — from each club’s biggest reason for optimism, to major offseason moves, to how the schedule might impact results. Here’s Part 1 of the division roundtable preview for 2025-26.

For many years, the Southwest Division has been one of the most formidable groups in the NBA, regularly placing multiple teams in the Western Conference playoffs. The 2024-25 season was a bit of an outlier, with only Houston earning a high seed (No. 2 behind eventual champion Oklahoma City), while Memphis and Dallas were play-in teams (the eighth-seeded Grizzlies advanced to a Round 1 sweep against the Thunder). Elsewhere, San Antonio is looking to end the West’s longest active playoff drought (six years); New Orleans will try to bounce back from an injury-decimated campaign and last-place finish.

It’s a new season full of hope. What are the top reasons why optimism is brimming over the edge for your team?

The young core that helped the Pelicans win 49 games two seasons ago – nearly earning a top-six seed – remains intact. Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones all endured injuries last season, limiting them to a combined 103 games, but if that trio returns to previous form (they played a total of 203 games in 2023-24), New Orleans should defy many of the negative national predictions that have been made ahead of this season. Williamson is an All-NBA-caliber forward when he’s at his best and added a couple wrinkles to his game in his modest 30 appearances, delivering his first two career triple-doubles. Murphy keeps improving every season, while Jones was First-Team All-Defense when he last had the chance to play a full season. From the same 2021 rookie class as Murphy and Jones, backup PG Jose Alvarado enters his fifth season with the Pelicans, who win much more when he plays than when he’s sidelined (2-24 last season in his injury DNPs).

To answer that, we’ll do so with a trivia question: How many NBA teams have three No. 1 overall draft picks on their current roster? The answer is only one, the Mavericks. Talent is hard to beat in the NBA and the Mavericks have amassed plenty with 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg joining Anthony Davis (2012) and Kyrie Irving (2011). The Los Angeles Lakers have two with LeBron James and Deandre Ayton. The Mavericks also have No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell, who will begin the season as the starter at point guard. The Mavericks are coming off a painful season when they traded Luka Doncic, recalibrating the entire franchise. But every other season since Jason Kidd’s arrival as coach has ended deep into the playoffs – the conference finals in 2022 and the NBA finals in 2024. Why should we expect less in 2026? Kidd has his kind of players on this team. It will be built with more than just lip service about “defense wins.” This team will protect the basket. And the potential that Flagg brings makes this one of the NBA’s must-watch teams.

Kevin Durant’s arrival brings the Rockets two things the franchise hasn’t possessed in a long time: a superstar and an elite multi-level scorer. Alperen Şengün is coming off an All-Star season and Amen Thompson looks like a future All-Star, but neither can currently compare to Durant, who has averaged at least 25 points per game in each of his past 16 seasons. The Rockets are hoping that Durant’s presence will streamline the offense and facilitate the growth of their younger players, including those due for larger roles this season like Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard. Houston returns 10 players from last season’s team that ranked top-five in defense and rebounding. Add in two efficient shooters in Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith, who shot a respective 43% and 41% on 3-pointers last season, and the Rockets look like a team built to dominate the Western Conference.

With the Grizzlies, there’s measured optimism. I’m just not sure it’s to the extent of “brimming over the edge.” And that’s for good reason. The team that tumbled down the stretch last season after rising as high as second in the West has since traded scoring guard Desmond Bane, added three rookies in the draft and made a couple moves in free agency to retool the supporting cast around Ja Morant and newly-extended Jaren Jackson Jr. What the Grizzlies did show in stretches late in the season was that new coach Tuomas Iisalo tweaked the system on the fly to get promising production out of Morant and center Zach Edey, particularly in the pick-and-roll game. If that tandem can take the next step and the star players avoid extended injury absences, the Grizzlies will be sneaky dangerous this season.

The top three reasons for optimism in Spurs Land: Victor Wembanyama, Victor Wembanyama and, of course, Victor Wembanyama. The French star has been officially cleared to resume basketball activities after a blood clot issue nuked the remainder of his second NBA season last February. A full season of De’Aaron Fox, acquired at last season’s trade deadline, another leap forward from reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the arrival of another ballyhooed rookie in Dylan Harper will help, but the Spurs’ climb this season mostly hinges on Wembanyama returning to the floor and playing like himself.

Flip the coin. The season goes haywire if…

If we see anything resembling the incomprehensible number of health issues New Orleans experienced last season, leading to a 21-61 record, the team’s worst mark in two decades. Looking at this roster on paper, it makes no sense that the Pelicans finished with the NBA’s fourth-fewest victories in 2024-25, but when you factor in that only two players suited up for 65 games or more (rookie center Yves Missi, role player Jeremiah Robinson-Earl), it’s much clearer why the Pelicans struggled through separate double-digit losing streaks, and also ended the campaign with seven straight defeats. New Orleans will not be at full strength on Opening Night, with starting point guard Dejounte Murray rehabbing from an Achilles injury he sustained Jan. 31, but having much of the rest of the squad available should make the Pelicans significantly more competitive. They had no chance to recover from a 5-29 start last season in the unforgiving West.

Only one thing scares the Mavericks right now: the injury gods that poo-poohed their 2024-25 season. They lost so many player-games to injury that everybody stopped counting when Irving went down with the torn knee ligament. And that’s going to be a lingering question. If the future hall-of-famer doesn’t come back by, say, the All-Star break or thereabouts, then this season will be in jeopardy. You can argue that the Mavericks are due for a few good breaks when it comes to the injury front. But then again, you can say they used up all their good fortune with Flagg. They do have a few older players in Davis, Irving and Klay Thompson. Older players are more injury-prone. But that’s the dice that they are rolling.

Kevin Durant is the key injection to give the Rockets offense a necessary facelift, but that will only go so far if the offense falls off a cliff in the non-Durant minutes. To see how that can negatively impact a team’s ceiling, look no further than across the West at the Warriors, whose offensive production tanked when Stephen Curry sat. Durant will be 37 on opening night and Rockets general manager Rafael Stone has already been clear that he does not expect Durant to play every game. When Durant is off the court, either for entire games or for shorter stretches, the Rockets must rely on Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. to score. The Rockets’ other concern will be managing a roster that is significantly older and thus more injury prone.

Ja Morant somehow doesn’t play at least 65 games this season. The season goes as Ja goes. There’s no questioning his elite level talent and ability to completely take over games as one of the most unstoppable forces in the league. But the hard truth is that Morant and fellow franchise pillar Jaren Jackson Jr. have averaged fewer than 40 games a season together on the court. That trend has to reverse if this iteration of the Grizzlies will ever reach the potential they flashed four years ago when they were viewed as one of the NBA’s young-and-rising squads. Now, these guys are in their mid-20s, playing on $200-million-plus contracts and have just one playoff series victory to show for it. Injuries to either catalyst would derail the season yet again. If so, it’s time to seriously consider taking another path with the roster.

Injuries strike again, particularly as it pertains to the aforementioned Wembanyama. Outside of that, the Spurs do have a new full-time head coach in Mitch Johnson, who formally takes over from Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich. Johnson guided the Spurs to a 34-48 finish after Popovich’s stroke last season, but there could still be a learning curve for the 38-year-old Johnson in his first full campaign at the helm.

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NBA Southwest Division roundtable 2025-26 preview: Reasons for Optimism and Concern

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Photos: Fans and Entertainment | Pelicans vs. Pacers 1-25-22

Todd Graffagnini catches up with Assistant Coach Jarron Collins and Erin Summers goes "Off the Court" with Kira Lewis Jr.

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Jarron Collins on Pelicans Weekly - November 4, 2021

Todd Graffagnini catches up with Birmingham Squadron Head Coach Ryan Pannone and Erin Summers goes "Off the Court" with Devonte' Graham.

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Ryan Pannone on Pelicans Weekly - October 28, 2021

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