With the New Orleans Pelicans battling injuries and facing the reality of having the worst record in the Western Conference, opposing teams have reportedly started to express interest in New Orleans’ supporting cast, with players like C.J. McCollum and Herb Jones garnering attention.
“The Pelicans are currently 5-20, in last place in the Western Conference, and now [Brandon] Ingram is out indefinitely with a significant low left ankle sprain,” wrote ESPN’s Shams Charania. “[Zion] Williamson also remains sidelined indefinitely with a left hamstring strain suffered Nov. 6. The Pelicans’ three All-Stars — Ingram, Williamson and [Dejounte] Murray — have yet to play together. Teams have already started expressing interest in the Pelicans’ supporting cast players, such as Jones and McCollum.”
McCollum and Jones themselves have battled the injury bug at times this season. McCollum missed 13 straight games earlier in the campaign while Jones missed 18 straight at one point. Both players are now back on the floor.
McCollum is under contract through the 2025-26 campaign while Jones is under contract through the 2026-27 season. As such, both players would be more than just rentals if they were traded.
The 33-year-old McCollum is averaging 20.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season on 43.4 percent shooting from the field and 31.4 percent shooting from deep. His 3-point shooting seems bound to bounce back at some point, as he is a career 39.8 percent 3-point shooter who made 42.9 percent of his 3s last season.
Meanwhile, Jones, 26, is averaging 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season on 51.8 percent shooting from the field and 29.2 percent shooting from deep. His 3-point shooting also seems bound to improve as the season goes on. Last season, he was a true 3-and-D threat, making 41.8 percent of his 3s and earning an All-Defense nod.
The Pelicans are already in a major hole in a Western Conference that isn’t looking very forgiving this season. At 5-20, New Orleans is eight games back of the final play-in spot. Injuries haven’t been kind to the Pelicans, but that piece of information isn’t going to get them any closer to a postseason bid.
The futures of players like McCollum and Jones will be worth monitoring as the season continues. The trade deadline this season is set for Feb. 6, meaning teams have a little less than two months remaining to get deals done.
In the meantime, the Pelicans will be back in action on Thursday for a matchup against the Sacramento Kings.
