The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Washington Wizards 128-107 to snap a nine-game losing skid. Any win is a good one in the NBA, but this one proves why the front office is making a massive mistake heading into the trade deadline.
Sure, the Pelicans can beat up on bottom-tier/rebuilding teams like the Wizards, but they still aren’t built to compete with the contenders or even middle-tier playoff teams. Which is why it’s such a flawed idea for Joe Dumars and his staff to approach the trade deadline with five players untouchable in a season where the team now has a 9-31 record through 40 games.
To me, three or maybe even four of the five players named as untouchables by the Pelicans in a report that came from Chris Haynes today make sense.
Trey Murphy III, Derik Queen, and Jeremiah Fears are the three who make total sense to me, as they are clear building blocks, with Herb Jones being the one I can somewhat wrap my head around. Zion Williamson, on the other hand, being an untouchable player with the Pelicans’ current position in the standings and roster construction, makes zero sense.
Maybe Dumars’ philosophy is that because the team doesn’t own their first-round pick in the 2026 draft, there’s no reason to become sellers at the deadline. But that’s just delaying the inevitable: a full-on rebuild is coming. Making a change now can help the Pelicans become ready to compete sooner rather than continuing to run back the same group of guys the previous regime failed with.
My thoughts on the game
Even though I feel Zion Williamson is the odd man out, I can’t overlook the fact that he is a walking matchup nightmare for teams like the Wizards. Washington had zero, and I mean zero, answers for Z tonight as he got the basket with ease, and the only time they could stop him was by fouling him and sending him to the line. Williamson finished with 31 points on 85.7 percent from the field.
Although Williamson played well and the Pelicans wouldn’t have won the game without him, Derik Queen showed why the franchise should cut ties with the former No. 1 overall pick.
Queen was dimeing up his teammates left and right, whether it was hitting cutters, throwing lobs, drive-and-kicks, or dump-offs. He did it all tonight. Queen finished with a triple-double of 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists. Obviously, he and Williamson can play together, but if you replace him with someone who can space the floor, he would be even more dangerous as a creator for this team.
DQ wasn’t the only rookie who looked good, as Jeremiah Fears had a really strong second half after having five turnovers in the first half, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Micah Peavy was also phenomenal and was finally rewarded for all the hustle plays he makes on the offensive end by the basketball gods. Peavy had nine points on 4-for-9 shooting.
Trey Murphy III continues to be this team’s best shot maker and overall player. He had 35 points tonight, which is the sixth time he has eclipsed the 30-point mark this season, killing the Wizards’ defense from beyond the arc with seven made threes.
Even though this was a fun offensive win for the Pelicans it stressed the fact that if a change isn’t made this team will remain in NBA purgatory.
