Richard Jefferson claims the Pelicans have 9 players who can be traded

The The New Orleans Pelicans were a wreck so far in the 2024-25 NBA season, they currently have the worst record in the Western Conference at 10-32. Gone is a combination of injuries, poor lineup structure and the regression of some starting players Willie Green and company in search of answers As the season nears its midpoint, it’s understandable to speculate that the Pelicans could look like sellers on the NBA trade market this year.

Most recently, former NBA champion Richard Jefferson went on the Road Trippin’ podcast to break down why he thinks New Orleans has treasury of property they could break up within the next month.

“New Orleans has nine players that any playoff team would love on their roster,” Jefferson said. “They have seven players in New Orleans and if they sent them to certain teams, it would change the trajectory. If the Lakers got Dejounte Murray, what would they look like.

Jefferson then gave another example of a player he thinks has significant market value.

“They’re not giving up on Trey (Murphy), but CJ McCollum, think about it,” Jefferson said. “There are so many teams that can use so many players and actually there are a bunch of teams that should be looking in other directions, yeah, this is over.” It’s over in New Orleans, it’s over.”

What should the Pelicans do?

The Pelicans do have some “brand name” players on their roster, including Zion Williamson, who recently returned from an extended injury layoff.

New Orleans also has players like CJ McCollum, as Jefferson mentioned, in addition to Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram, each of whom could be of interest to teams looking to add wing depth.

It’s unclear whether New Orleans would want to part ways with Dejounte Murray just six months after acquiring him from the Atlanta Hawks. The team also has to understand the fact that some of their contracts, especially Ingram’s, wouldn’t necessarily be categorized as friendly.

However, if one thing has been abundantly clear through the first 42 games of the season, it’s that a big change is needed in New Orleans.