After Herbert Jones averaged just 17.0 minutes a night through the first three games Pelicansseason, head coach Jamal Mosley suggested he would make an effort to find more playing time for the veteran forward as Shameet Dua of In The NO writes.
“At this point, Herb is the best pro where he is, and getting more time for him will be a key priority for me.” Mosley said Tuesday. “And I know as a defensive coach, I don’t have a chance to look back on that. … We’ve talked about doing something in a five-game sample and seeing what it looks like and where it might be and what we can do, but again, the high priority is to make sure we continue to see Herb on the floor more.”
A day later, Jones played 18:32 on Wednesday in the Pelicans’ fourth straight loss to open the season. While the minutes total was a season high, it didn’t represent a significant increase from the previous three games and was still well below the 28.4 mpg he averaged last season.
After starting 280 consecutive regular-season games, Jones is coming off the bench for the Pelicans, which is part of the reason for his declining minutes. As Dua, head of basketball operations, explains Joe Dumars and the front office is considered very high Jeremiah Strahiso the sophomore guard starts.
with Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson are also locked in as starters, and Mosley wants the center to be part of that group (DeAndre Jordan started with Yves Missy due to an injury to his left knee) which leaves only one opening, and Dejounte Murray occupied this place at the very beginning.
According to Du, while Murray refused back in February that he ever requested a trade from New Orleans, people around the NBA believe the Pelicans and the guard would be open to finding a “better situation” for him. Dua suggests that New Orleans may be running Murray in part to increase his value and showcase him to potential trade partners, adding that some Pelicans personnel also believe that Murray and the backup wing Benedict Maturin can replicate Jones’ defensive impact to some extent.
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- Like us aired on WednesdayNBA insider Marc Stein reported this week that the Pelicans have shown no greater willingness to trade Jones despite his reduced role early in the season. On the All NBA Podcast (Link to YouTube), Stein suggested the Pelicans were holding firm in their pursuit of two first-round picks for Jones and three for Murphy, and Dua confirms the asking price for Jones remains “around two first-round picks.”
- According to Dua, while several playoff teams are keeping an eye on Jones and consider him a good fit on and off the court, there is a feeling among rival executives that the power forward’s value could decrease if he continues to play a modest role off the bench. As Dua points out, it’s also worth noting that Jones’ salary will increase from $14.9 million this season to $20.9 million in 2027/28 when the contract extension takes effect.
- Security veteran Jordan Poolewho is out of a $34 million contract, made it clear to the Pelicans that he would be open to other opportunities, according to Dua. Poole played just seven minutes Wednesday after averaging 19.0 MPG off the bench in the first three games of the season.
- The Warriors are among the teams that have recently inquired about Missy, according to Dua, who says the Pelicans continue to turn down offers for the third-year big man. Those offers mostly centered around second-round picks, Dua continues, noting that New Orleans doesn’t see that as a strong enough return for a player Mosley likes and sees as the “coordinator” of the club’s defense.
