I apologize to any New Orleans Pelicans fans reading this.
I’m pretty certain you don’t want to relive 2025 all over again. It’s been a rough year, and that’s putting it nicely.
The Pelicans play one more game in 2025, a New Year’s Eve road tilt against the Chicago Bulls. But before we flip the calendar to 2026, let’s look back at the top-five stories for the Pelicans in what was a year of change.
1. Griffin firing
Change starts at the top. A day after the Pelicans finished one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Gayle Benson fired executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that I feel is necessary at this time to bring a fresh approach to our front office and build a culture that will deliver sustainable success, on and off the court,” Benson said April 14.
Griffin spent six seasons running the show in New Orleans. There were some highs (like the 49-win season) and some lows (like last year’s 21-win season). Griffin’s first draft pick was Zion Williamson, an obvious No. 1 choice back in 2019. Griffin also was responsible for bringing in key pieces such as Herb Jones, Trey Murphy and Jose Alvarado. But the Pels never could put it all together on a consistent basis.
2. Hiring of Dumars
In a search that was as fast as the time it takes Jeremiah Fears to get from one end of the court to the other, Benson hired Louisiana native and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars to replace Griffin. Dumars was named the new executive vice president of basketball operations just two days after Griffin’s dismissal.
It was clear that Benson and her staff already had their guy picked out. Dumars’ name had come up in the past in reports about taking over the front office. Now it’s up to him to bring some success to New Orleans like he did in Detroit when he was an executive in the early 2000s.
3. Green's firing
Seven months after firing Griffin, the Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green. Dumars gave Green just 12 games before making a change. The Pelicans started the season 2-10 and Dumars had seen enough.
He named assistant coach James Borrego the interim head coach. One of the biggest stories in 2026 will be what Dumars decides to do with the position. Will he stick with Borrego or bring in his own guy?
Green, who was just starting his fifth season, finished with a 150-190 record. He went 23-77 in his last 100 games. He wasn’t dealt the best hand as injuries plagued his teams year after year. But in the end, it wasn’t just that the Pelicans were losing, but more about how they were losing.
4. Bringing Zion back
One of the first big decisions Dumars made came in his first month on the job. That’s when he made it clear that his plan was to continue building around Zion Williamson.
The first six seasons of Williamson’s career in New Orleans had been plagued by injuries. In fact, he played in just 214 of a possible 472 games since coming to New Orleans. Many people were ready to move on from Williamson, but Dumars wasn’t one of them.
"Expectations. Accountability. That's our plan going forward with Zion,” Dumars said about Williamson back in May.
Williamson entered this season in the best shape of his career, but he’s played in just 18 out of 34 games this season. The rest of this season will tell us a lot about Williamson and his future in New Orleans.
5. Draft night
The Pelicans selected Fears, a guard from Oklahoma, with the No. 7 pick. They were scheduled to pick again at No. 23, but Dumars and his assistant Troy Weaver saw someone they coveted and moved up to get him, giving up a lot in the process.
The Pels traded up with the Atlanta Hawks to draft Derik Queen, a versatile forward from Maryland. In exchange, the Pelicans gave up their first round pick for 2026. It’s a move that has been heavily scrutinized and rightfully so. Fortunately for the Pelicans, Queen has been better than most thought. It took him just 25 games to record his first triple-double.
The Pelicans also drafted Micah Peavy, whose strength is his ability on the defensive end, in the second round. It’s a draft class that could help make sure the Pelicans’ future isn’t quite as gloomy as 2025 was to them.