The New Orleans Pelicans have made no additions to their roster this offseason beyond re-signing DeAndre Jordan. That leaves them without a single rotation-caliber center in unrestricted free agency after Andre Drummond signed with the Knicks on Friday.
The team entered the summer with roughly $10 million in cap space and eyed targets including Drummond, Mitchell Robinson, Jaxson Hayes, Moritz Wagner, Nikola Vucevic, Mark Williams, and Day'Ron Sharpe. All of them signed deals elsewhere that New Orleans could have matched. The remaining unrestricted options such as Kevon Looney, Nick Richards, Drew Eubanks, Kelly Olynyk, and Kevin Love offer no clear upgrade over Jordan and none project as reliable rotation pieces for a team that needs interior toughness.
Last season made the Pelicans' lack of size, physicality, and rebounding painfully obvious around the basket. Joe Dumars alluded to those exact shortcomings in his end-of-season presser. Yet the front office allowed the center market to clear before acting, even though the modern free-agency window moves quickly and leaves slim pickings after the first few days.
That inaction has now made the Pelicans appear desperate to the rest of the league. Rival teams will inflate asking prices on any trade targets because they know New Orleans must add a center to support Zion Williamson and the rest of the frontcourt. The current free-agent pool cannot address defensive concerns or provide the interior presence required to complement Williamson and new addition Derik Queen.
The only remaining internal option is an offer sheet to restricted free agent Quinten Post. Post would not solve the defensive issues but could space the floor as an offensive-oriented center. The Warriors hold matching rights, however, and New Orleans would likely need to reach close to $10 million per year to deter Golden State from matching. Jalen Duren remains the other restricted free agent but is not viewed as a realistic target.
Without a center addition the Pelicans risk another season where their frontcourt limitations dictate matchups and rotations. The trade market now becomes the only realistic path forward, but the price will rise precisely because everyone understands how thin New Orleans has become at the position.
New Orleans Pelicans 
