Joe Dumars Seems Hellbent On Destroying The New Orleans Pelicans From Within

Derick Hingle. Getty Images.

For all the (well-deserved) dragging that Nico Harrison received for the Luka Trade, at least now he's been relieved of his duties and Mavs fans can start to finally move on. It doesn't change what happened, but it's a certain level of closure that the fanbase desperately needed.

When that trade happened, it was largely considered one of the worst trades in not just NBA history, but all of sports. And while that may be true, somewhere close to it, at least in the NBA world, is what Joe Dumars did this past summer with the Pelicans' 2026 first round pick.

Look, Derik Queen is a fine young player. This isn't really about him, this is about proper asset management and doing what's best for your franchise. You know how there was this idea that Nico Harrison gifting the Lakers Luka was some sort of plan concocted by the NBA? Maybe that's true maybe it isn't, but given everything that Joe Dumars has done since joining the Pelicans feels like we're seeing the NBA proactively kill basketball in New Orleans, maybe so they can move the team or something. Adam Silver has already killed the expansion dream, so how do you get a team to Seattle/Vegas? You move them out of a dead market. How do you create a dead market? You do whatever the hell the New Orleans Pelicans are doing. 

As things stand today, the Pelicans sit at 2-11, losers of 5 straight. They just fired their head coach, and given the conference in which they play, it's safe to say this team is destined for the Lottery. In any other season, that'd be fine for a rebuilding Pelicans team. Unfortunately, that trade in June happened, which seems to be pretty relevant at a time like this

As you can see, the Bucks are nowhere to be found in that graphic, so I'm thinking the Hawks won't be selecting their pick. Instead, Joe Dumars has in theory gift gift-wrapped an elite prospect to the Hawks all so he could draft Derik Queen to be their center of the future, despite the roster already having a bunch of centers on it. 

The exact scenario that pretty much everyone on the planet outside of Joe Dumars thought would happen, is happening. How do you not throw protections on that pick? Even if it's like 1-5 protected. That'd still be bad, but not as bad should you have a season from hell and end up with a top pick (like the Pelicans are having). 

Months after this trade, Joe Dumars talked himself into a pretzel when he said that his expectations for the Pelicans heading into the year weren't to make the playoffs, and that way of thinking was short-sighted. You know, despite the fact that missing the playoffs would have them in the Lottery with a pick they do not own. Kind of an important detail there.

Well, now that his team is sinking to the bottom of the West, that high Lottery pick feels inevitable. So how does Dumars feel about the situation now?

I mean, I guess he's right? There's no sense in crying over spilled milk, but that's not exactly what I would want to be hearing as a Pelicans fan right now. Especially from the guy who put them in this position in the first place

The thing is, there's more. Dumars also traded the Pacers back their pick during the NBA Finals, and look at where that one is sitting. So essentially, he's gone from two picks in the top 3 to zero picks in the top 3. Woof.

I'm not really sure if there's an answer Dumars could have given in that moment that would have helped his case, but I know for sure what he went with doesn't. I think it's pretty clear even he knows he fucked up, which is why whatever spinzone he tries to use just falls flat. And the more and more we do hear from Dumars, I can't help but shake the feeling that he was sent to NO with a purpose. Remember, he worked in the league office before taking this job, and now there are reports swirling that he's looking at Darvin Ham as a coaching replacement

I'm just saying you add up all these moves, from the Pacers trade, to the Hawks trade, to firing a coach a month into the season and then potentially replacing that coach with Darvin Ham, are these the actions of someone who has the best interest of the franchise in mind? Or are they the actions of someone who is planting the early seeds for relocation? 

Just like with the Mavs and their fans, I feel for Pelicans fans. They don't deserve this bullshit. They're already dealing with a VERY real injury curse that seems to have plagued this franchise, and now adding all this Joe Dumars shit on top of it feels a little unfair. Because we know what comes next right? The rebuilding and trading of assets. Does any Pelicans fan trust Dumars in that situation? Is he going to be able to get good value for Zion? Or Herb Jones? Or Trey Murphy? I wouldn't hold my breath on that.