The New Orleans Pelicans are 2-12 already and are headed to the lottery for the second straight season. This time around, however, they don’t have their own first-round pick. As their first order of business, Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver traded away their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks to acquire the 13th-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They used that pick to draft Derik Queen, which seems like a home-run selection, but how much they had to give up is still unforgivable. The fact that they didn’t put any protections on that pick will haunt the Pelicans for a long time.

That trade is having a massive impact on the Pelicans’ season. It prevents them from fully bottoming out and maximizing their chances of a top-four pick in a draft expected to have multiple star prospects. It doesn’t seem like the Pelicans need the extra motivation to tank and be at the bottom of the league, but the fact that they won’t get rewarded for it will put the franchise in a difficult position for a long time.

Unless they can trade for their pick back. This would be the only way that the Pelicans can salvage this season.

Pelicans Must Find a Way to Trade Back for Their 2026 First-Round Pick

This will obviously not be easy. That pick is one of the most valuable assets to have switched hands this year. It will take a lot for the Hawks to consider giving it up. Unfortunately, the Pelicans need to pay up. This will realistically require New Orleans to trade Trey Murphy or Herb Jones.

At this point, the only two Pelicans who should be untouchable are Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. Besides those two, everything should be on the table, including Murphy and Jones.

Murphy should have the most trade value among the veterans on the team. He is 25 years old, is under contract for three more seasons after this one, and with his three-and-D skillset, should be a good fit on any team in the league. His $25 million salary shouldn’t make salary-matching too difficult.

If the Hawks want him, a trade involving Luke Kennard, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the Pelicans’ pick could get it done. There could be more players and picks from either side to make it work, as long as New Orleans gets its pick back from Atlanta. Getting a third team involved is also a possibility.

Herb Jones could also have a similar value, but he is not necessarily a good fit with the Hawks, as they already have several defense-first wings. A multiple-team trade may be needed in this scenario.

Admittedly, this is not the most exciting trade for Pelicans fans. Giving up a valuable player just to get your own pick back can be a bad look, but the Pelicans already screwed themselves with the initial trade in the offseason. Now, Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver have to find a way to undo the damage.

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