James Borrego is ‘moving the chess pieces’ as the NBA trade deadline looms

The last place has a way of stripping away illusions before NBA trade deadlineand for Voodoo-hacked New Orleans Pelicansthe key questions are obvious. Zion Williamson he should have been a closer, a gravitational force that bent its will on the late game. Trey Murphy III stepped into the All Star roleproviding spacing and making shots. Rookie prodigy Derrick Quinnmeanwhile, he’s completely upped the ante, already drawing stylistic comparisons to Nikola Jokic for his vision and feel.

Interim head coach James Borrego leaned toward pragmatism rather than reinvention. With the Pelicans buried in the standings, his focus was less to mind and more about clarity.

“We live in the moment,” Borrego admitted. “Obviously we’ve got some basic things we’re going to do, and then we’ve just got to get out of it. We’ve got to go make plays. There’s nothing complicated. We can get the game out … most NBA games, there’s no gimmicks there. You put your best players in a position to make plays.”

That approach reflects both necessity and philosophy. The Pelicans don’t have the luxury of installing expansion sets or reinventing roles midseason. Injuries, inconsistency and scoreboard pressure narrowed the margin for error. Borrego responded by shrinking the ledger and expanding responsibility for Williamson, Murphy III and Quinn.

“Sometimes I like the variety, playing off the ball versus on the ball,” Borrego said. “(Queen) is one of those guys that we’re going to play off the ball because he can pass. (Williamson) is more on the ball, (Murphy III) is a little bit of both. So we’re trying to move the pieces, but more than anything, the simplicity of what we do, go out and execute and make a play. I think it’s just putting the player in position. Put your best players in and let them go from there.

The chess metaphor fits, but only up to a point.

This is not about complex combinations of several moves in advance. It’s about recognizing which piece belongs where at a given moment and resisting the temptation to overthink.

“So some of it is a gut feel, like who’s hot and going into the matches,” Borrego said. “That’s most NBA games. We go into matchups, maybe we pick the weaker defender. That’s a thing you’re going to see play out at the end of games. That’s one of our things, not the only thing, but one of the things we look at.”

The streamlined approach extends to the team’s entire playbook. Borrego admitted that his group can’t handle extensive offensive sets, especially given the circumstances of the interim coaching change in the middle of the season.

“There’s probably three or four sets in general that you’re going to go to,” Borrego explained. “My group certainly can’t handle more than that, like, we try to keep it as simple as possible and execute it. Get the ball in the hands of the right player, and now they have to make plays from there. That’s what they’re paid to do, and they’re beautiful, wonderful players. They do it better than anybody in the world, and they’re paid well to play at the end of the game.”

That honesty underscores where the Pelicans really stand. This is not a finished product trying to adjust the margins. It’s a team still figuring out what actions, combinations and personalities translate under pressure.

As the deadline approaches, league executives will be watching closely to see if New Orleans decides to reallocate assets, consolidate roles or simply buy time. Internally, access is already set. Simplify. Set priorities. Put the ball in the hands that matter most. Moving chess pieces for now does not mean chasing a grandmaster solution. This means recognizing the board as it exists and counting the next move.