{"id":554825,"date":"2026-01-23T05:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/554825\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T05:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:33:34","slug":"pelicans-jose-alvarado-addresses-injury-return-nba-trade-deadline-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/554825\/","title":{"rendered":"Pelicans\u2019 Jose Alvarado addresses injury return, NBA Trade Deadline rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pelicans\u2019 Jose Alvarado addresses injury return, NBA Trade Deadline rumors<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jose Alvarado<\/a> insists the wait is nearly over. As the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> navigate an uneven season and the uncertainty of the NBA Trade Deadline,<\/a> the reserve guard says a return from injury is imminent. The undrafted dynamo from Georgia Tech, sidelined with an oblique injury, spoke candidly about his recovery, the mental strain of watching from the bench, and the business realities that swirl around the league.<\/p>\n

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Of course, the fan favorite\u2019s message oozed with the kind of infectious, hopeful energy<\/a> the Pelicans have been lacking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m close, I\u2019m real close,\u201d Alvarado shared. \u201cIf you know me, I\u2019m not sitting out. I can\u2019t sit out. My mind runs crazy, but I\u2019m super close. I don\u2019t know the timelines of what game and stuff, but hopefully on this road trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

The injury itself occurred on what Alvarado described as a routine play, underscoring how quickly things can change during an NBA game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, it was a simple play against LA,\u201d Alvarado shared. \u201cI did a cross pass on the right side of the court, and I just felt something tear up the oblique. Whatever happened, the muscle had a tear from a little injury like that, and it sucks. I felt it right away, and I tried to stay in the game as long as I could. You know me, I hate sitting out, so I try to do everything that\u2019s possible to try to get better as fast as I can. I don\u2019t want to sit out the game, so I tried to come back, but it was too much. I couldn\u2019t stand, just trying to stay in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With the NBA Trade Deadline approaching, Alvarado addressed the swirling rumors and speculation that come with this time of year, particularly for players on struggling teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to stay level-headed. It\u2019s a business at the end of the day,\u201d Alvarado stated. \u201cYou never know, you might get a call and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s still basketball. So I try with this group, we just stay with it. If it happens, you know, it happens. We can\u2019t change anything. So if anything, if it\u2019s going to another team or not, it\u2019s still playing basketball. Just got to stay level-headed with this. Obviously, the timing is a little stressful because you don\u2019t know what can happen. We\u2019ve just got to stay connected at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarado has become a fan favorite in New Orleans since joining the team in 2021, earning a reputation as one of the league\u2019s most pesky defenders and bringing energy off the bench. His pragmatic approach to the trade deadline reflects the maturity of a player who understands the realities of professional basketball while maintaining focus on what he can control.<\/p>\n

Whether the 27-year-old returns during the current road trip or shortly after, the Pelicans are preparing for his reintegration. His comments reflected both urgency and maturity, a player eager to compete, but aware of the long-term stakes. As the deadline approaches and New Orleans weighs its options, Alvarado\u2019s focus remains on being available, productive, and ready for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n

Related: NBA rumors: Buzz builds around Pacers-Pelicans trade, but there\u2019s a hold-up<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: NBA rumors: What Brett Siegel is hearing about Bulls\u2019 Zion Williamson, Yves Missi trade interest<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pelicans\u2019 Jose Alvarado addresses injury return, NBA Trade Deadline rumors appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554826,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,7869,11053,6,2828,470,9932],"class_list":["post-554825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-basketball","tag-georgia-tech","tag-jose-alvarado","tag-nba","tag-nba-trade-deadline","tag-new-orleans-pelicans","tag-oblique-injury"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115942785350839679","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554825","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=554825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}