You can point to a lot of things as reasons why the 2025-2026 season got off to a disastrous start for the New Orleans Pelicans. What I often refer to is the continued trend of injuries, the lack of shot creation, a thin guard rotation and a lack of defensive talent. All of these things, except the defensive talent, are things that Jordan Poole needed to help solve, but due to his injury, he wasn’t able to do so.
Poole was not injured during a match; he randomly appeared on the team injury report with a quad injury. Fans were and remain confused as there have been minimal updates on him and his progress toward his return to the court. Poole has missed 18 games, which has become incredibly problematic for this Pelicans team.
The Pelicans traded for Poole with the idea that by acquiring him after a career year in Washington, he could help them become a competitive team. However, he was injured early in the year, leaving the Pelicans with little guard and taking a lot of potential offensive production out of their lineup.
If he returns now, the value he was expected to bring won’t have the same impact due to where New Orleans currently sits in the standings.
The Poole trade looks more like a mistake than ever
When the Pelicans took over Poole, I was a huge fan. I made myself think he would buy in and be a winning player for this team like he was in Golden State. Poole didn’t really get a chance to develop a winning style with this team as he spent most of his season watching from the sidelines, and now, when he returns, the team may not even look the same.
With rumors that the front office could blow things up by trading Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and even Zion Williamson, the timing of the Poole trade looks even worse. In retrospect, the Pelicans might have been better off keeping CJ McCollum for another year and letting his contract expire. Now they’re stuck with another year of Poole’s $30 million-plus salary, in a situation where the team could begin a rebuild.
I still think the idea behind acquiring Poole was a good one as he was younger than McCollum and gave the team a steady point guard option while they waited for Dejounte Murray to return. However, with the losses piling up and Poole not playing since November 4, this trade is getting worse every day. And things will only get worse if the front office decides to tear things down and rebuild.
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