With NBA free agency largely wrapped up, it’s a great time to take a look at each NBA team’s depth chart as we head closer to the NBA season. Let’s take a look at the New Orleans Pelicans’ updated depth chart following free agency, along with some analysis of the team’s incoming and outgoing players as they shape up for the 2026–27 season.
PG: Dejounte Murray, Jordan Poole
SG: Trey Murphy III, Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Hawkins, Jaron Pierre Jr.
SF: Saddiq Bey, Herbert Jones, Micah Peavy
PF: Zion Williamson, Karlo Matkovic
C: Derik Queen, Yves Missi, DeAndre Jordan
The New Orleans Pelicans may have had the quietest free agency period in the entire NBA, opting to develop their existing players entering the new season. The current New Orleans Pelicans players under contract for the 2026-27 season account for 93% of the Pelicans’ minutes from last year, the highest rate in the league compared to other teams.
While there were no major signings for the Pelicans over the summer besides their re-signing of DeAndre Jordan, the Pelicans did lose Kevon Looney, Trey Alexander and Josh Oduro. Looney will be the main loss, as he provided a solid presence in his limited games with the Pelicans last year.
Since there were no real acquisitions or huge losses over the summer, the Pelicans will be focused on internal growth within their young players and keeping their stars healthy coming into this season. Point guard Dejounte Murray missed the first 58 games last season and will be a crucial piece if he can stay healthy and return to his best form.
The same goes for Zion Williamson, who appeared in 62 games last year for the Pelicans, the second-most games he has played in a season since being drafted by New Orleans in 2019. Williamson averaged 21.0 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting an impressive 60% from the field and 25% from three.
The Pelicans will also be hoping to see growth from second-year players Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, who both made the All-Rookie Second Team and will be looking to build off of their strong rookie years.
The Pelicans’ offseason plan was pretty straightforward and focused on the team they already have, which also went 19-5 in the final 24 regular-season games last season. The key to success for New Orleans will be keeping their star players on the court, namely Williamson and Murray, who will be tasked with leading the Pelicans back into playoff contention.
Go to our NBA page for more articles and updates like the Dallas Mavericks’ 2026-27 depth chart following free agency!
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