Joe Dumars speaks during his Introductory Press Conference on the second day of his job as the New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, La., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
The New Orleans Pelicans had one pick in this year’s draft.
Now they have two.
The Pelicans, who already owned the No. 7 overall selection in the draft, now own the No. 23 pick.
The Pelicans acquired the extra pick in a trade Tuesday with the Indiana Pacers, the team announced Tuesday.
In the deal, the Pelicans get the No. 23 pick and the rights to Mojave King. The Pacers receive back their own 2026 first round pick, which the Pelicans had previously obtained via the Toronto Raptors.
It's the first big move by Joe Dumars, the Pelicans’ new executive vice president of basketball operations.
Dumars, who replaced David Griffin in April, had this to say in early June about the draft.
“I know this draft. We’re going to get a really good player at 7.”
Now he may not have to wait that long.
He has options now.
Dumars can stay put and use both draft picks.
Or he could package the two picks and trade up in the draft to get a player he covets even more.
Players who the Pelicans could possibly be targeting if they plan to move up in the draft include Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. Bailey is projected to be one of the top players picked in the draft behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg, a certainty to be the first pick by the Dallas Mavericks.
The first round of the NBA draft is June 25. The second round is June 26.
The Pelicans don’t have a second round pick in this year’s draft.
If the Pelicans decide to keep the Np. 23 pick, there’s some precedent for success in drafting in the 20’s. Last year, the Pelicans drafted Yves Missi out of Baylor with the No. 21 pick. Missi, projected to be a project, became one of the Pelicans’ most reliable players in the team's injury-filled season.
Missi played in a team-high 73 games. He averaged 9.1points and 8.2 rebounds and was named to the second team of the NBA All-Rookie team.
In addition to the draft picks, the Pelicans also acquired the rights to King, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from New Zealand. King has yet to play in an NBA game. After playing with the G League Ignite, King was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2023 draft. His rights were immediately traded to the Pacers. King, 23, played with the Pacers' Summer League team and their G-League affiliate, but has spent most of the past two seasons playing professionally overseas.