The New Orleans Pelicans drafted Jaron Pierre Jr. with the 58th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. While this is not a big move on the surface, it should result in a domino effect of other moves by the team. Most notably, the end of the Jordan Hawkins experiment in New Orleans.
The Pelicans’ backcourt is getting crowded with the addition of Pierre out of SMU. Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones should be the starting backcourt for the Pelicans. Behind them are Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole, Micah Peavy, and Hawkins. Add in Pierre, and there are too many players for the number of spots available.
Out of that group, two guys stand out to me in that their time with the Pelicans may be nearing an end.
Poole had a disappointing first season with the New Orleans, and his performance does not justify his $34 million salary for the 2026-2027 season. Unfortunately, it will be hard for the Pelicans to find a taker for Poole, so they may be stuck with him until at least the trade deadline.
Jordan Hawkins hasn't found his footing with the Pelicans
Hawkins is under a much more reasonable $7 million salary. Being a former first-round draft pick, there may be a team willing to take a flier on Hawkins. If the Pelicans can trade Hawkins for a future second-round pick, they should do it. This would open a spot for Pierre, who has serious potential.
Pierre likely will not be getting a lot of playing time this season, but the Pelicans should still open a roster spot by trading away Hawkins.
When the Pelicans drafted Hawkins out of UConn with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the team had high hopes for the young sharpshooter.
Hawkins won a national championship at UConn in 2023, displaying a great three-point shooting stroke. The Maryland native shot 38% from behind the arc in his sophomore season at UConn before entering the NBA Draft.
Unfortunately, Hawkins has been unable to show that same shooting stroke in the NBA. But to his defense, Hawkins hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to play consistently.
In his three seasons with the Pelicans, Hawkins has shot just 34.8 percent from three in 174 career games.
There have been several games where Hawkins looked like the scoring threat the Pelicans hoped he would be. However, he has not been able to consistently put the ball in the basket. Hawkins is still young, though, and another team with more space in their backcourt may be willing to give him more minutes to see if he can unlock his potential. With Pierre now in the fold, along with other young players like Fears and Peavy, the Pelicans have a crowded backcourt.
Trading Hawkins to a team that can give him more playing time would be what’s best for both him and the Pelicans.
