New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, despite reports coming out that New Orleans isn’t shopping the 6-foot-7 wing.
Herb Jones Reacts With A Perplexed Look
Amid trade rumors, Jones was called “a Laker” by a fan after the Pelicans’ 114-104 road win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. A fan at the United Center trolled Jones with the comment after the game.
“Herbert Jones, you’re a Laker, my boy,” the fan yelled from the stands.
“Huh?” Jones said with a confused look as he walked back to the tunnel.
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Per The Athletic’s Dan Woike, the Pelicans are not listening to trade offers for Jones ahead of this season’s deadline. The 27-year-old has spent his entire five-year NBA career with New Orleans.
“While Lakers fans can fantasize about some all-out liquidation of the three-win Pelicans’ roster, team and league sources tell The Athletic that New Orleans is not interested in moving Jones,” Woike wrote.
Woike also noted that New Orleans wouldn’t want the Lakers’ expiring contracts and a single first-round pick, as that future first-rounder, which could be in 2031 or 2032, is less valuable than it was viewed both before the Luka Doncic trade and since Mark Walter’s purchase of the franchise.
Jones Cannot Be Traded Until Jan. 14
During the offseason, Jones and the Pelicans agreed to a three-year, $68 million contract extension. Jones has a total of five years and $97 million on his deal, with a player option in 2029-30.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Jones will earn $20.9 million in 2027-28, which is the full 140% allowable increase on the final year of his current contract as a veteran player.
If the Pelicans decide to make the All-Defensive wing available for a potential trade, he cannot be moved until Jan. 14 as his three-year extension was signed in July.
Through 19 games (all starts) this season, Jones is averaging 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 28.6 minutes per outing while shooting a career-low 39.5% from the field and 33.8% from deep.
Jones, who the Pelicans selected 35th overall in the 2021 draft out of the University of Alabama, was limited to just 20 games last season due to a torn posterior labrum in his right shoulder.
He averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 32.4 minutes per contest while shooting 43.6% from the floor and 30.5% from 3-point territory.
