{"id":553848,"date":"2026-01-22T20:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T20:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/553848\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T20:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T20:04:15","slug":"the-most-likely-player-to-be-traded-and-its-not-a-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/553848\/","title":{"rendered":"The most likely player to be traded, and it’s not a star"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the NBA trade deadline approaching on Feb. 5, league executives have begun to clarify where the New Orleans Pelicans stand as they weigh potential roster changes<\/a>. While rival teams continue to inquire about cornerstone players, a recent report indicates the most likely Pelicans player to be traded<\/a> is not a star.<\/p>\n

ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel reported Thursday that New Orleans has resisted engaging in meaningful talks involving its top names, even as interest around the league remains steady.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeams continue to make calls about Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Zion Williamson, yet the Pelicans have not fully engaged in conversations about any of these three players,\u201d Siegel wrote. \u201cWhatever the Pelicans ultimately decide to do, they will not be taking back long-term money or crossing the tax line this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

That financial stance has narrowed the team\u2019s most realistic trade candidates. According to Siegel, the player drawing the most actionable interest is reserve guard Jose Alvarado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside of these three players, the Pelicans have also received a lot of interest in Jose Alvarado, who is their most likely player to be dealt this season,\u201d Siegel reported. \u201cThe New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons are all said to have interest in the defensive-minded guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarado, 27, is in his fifth NBA season and continues to serve as an energy guard off the bench. He is averaging 7.9 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three-point range. He has appeared in 35 games, averaging 22.2 minutes per contest.<\/p>\n

Contractually, Alvarado fits New Orleans\u2019 desire for flexibility. He is in the first year of a two-year, $9 million deal, earning $4.5 million this season. The contract includes a player option for the 2026\u201327 season, making him an attractive short-term addition for teams seeking defensive depth without long-term financial commitment.<\/p>\n

Jose Alvarado trade interest expands as Pelicans gauge Yves Missi\u2019s market\"NewMatthew Hinton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

While Alvarado appears to be the most likely outgoing piece, Siegel noted that discussions involving the Pelicans have not been limited to veterans. Second-year center Yves Missi has also surfaced in recent league conversations<\/a>, in part due to his affordable contract and developmental upside.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter multiple sources informed ClutchPoints of the Chicago Bulls’ interest in Zion Williamson, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported recently that the team held direct trade dialogue with the Pelicans about both Williamson and second-year center Yves Missi,\u201d Siegel wrote. \u201cLeague sources have since confirmed to ClutchPoints these conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missi, 21, is in the second year of his four-year, $15.6 million rookie contract, which includes a team option for the 2027\u201328 season before restricted free agency. His cost-controlled deal has added to his appeal around the league as New Orleans weighs flexibility ahead of the deadline.<\/p>\n

Siegel added that despite outside pressure, New Orleans has maintained its position on Williamson.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill, the Pelicans have remained firm on their stance to keep Zion \u2026 for now,\u201d he reported.<\/p>\n

Missi has seen a reduced role this season but remains a developmental prospect. He is averaging 5.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 assists across 38 games, including seven starts, while playing 18.8 minutes per game.<\/p>\n

For now, the Pelicans\u2019 focus remains on stabilizing a difficult season. New Orleans sits at 10\u201336, last in the Western Conference, and is riding a three-game losing streak following a 112\u2013104 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. The team opens a three-game road trip Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies (18-24) at 8 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the NBA trade deadline approaching on Feb. 5, league executives have begun to clarify where the New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3796],"tags":[7,11053,10369,6,6050,478,470,4073,4072,675,1259],"class_list":{"0":"post-553848","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-orleans-pelicans","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-jose-alvarado","10":"tag-mini-editorials","11":"tag-nba","12":"tag-nba-rumors","13":"tag-new-orleans","14":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","15":"tag-neworleans","16":"tag-neworleanspelicans","17":"tag-pelicans","18":"tag-yves-missi"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115940548914482677","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}