The New Orleans Pelicans are not entertaining trade offers for forwards Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy III, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Haynes also notes that New Orleans has no intention of trading forward Derik Queen and guard Jeremiah Fears. There has been no indication that the Pelicans would consider trading either of their promising rookies.
Pelicans Underwent A Front Office Overhaul
The Pelicans underwent radical changes in their front office last spring, when head of basketball operations David Griffin was replaced by Joe Dumars, who hired former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver.
Dumars and Weaver proceeded to make a series of roster moves over the summertime, trading CJ McCollum to the Wizards and a 2026 first-rounder to the Pacers in order to draft Queen after using their own lottery pick on Fears.
New Orleans then guaranteed Williamson’s $39.4 million salary for the 2025-26 season. This is part of the five-year, $197.23 million rookie-scale extension he signed in July 2022.
Sources: New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 9, 2026
However, Williamson has been limited to only 24 games (17 starts) this campaign due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and a right adductor injury.
Williamson, who is currently in his sixth NBA season, has been plagued by injuries throughout his career since being selected No. 1 overall out of Duke in the 2019 draft.
Per Basketball Reference, Williamson has appeared in 61 or more games in a single season just twice. He played in 30 games in 2024-25 before the Pelicans shut him down last March due to a bone bruise in his back.
Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III Drawing Interest
Jones, meanwhile, was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2024.
This season, the 6-foot-7 wing has averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 28.3 minutes per game through 23 appearances (all starts).
Jones is also shooting a career-worst 39.4% from the field and 33.3% from deep.
According to Spotrac, Jones signed an offseason extension that makes him ineligible to be traded until Jan. 14. The 27-year-old has a cap hit of $14 million this season and has a player option worth $24.2 million for 2029-30.
Jones has been viewed as a potential target for the Lakers and other teams.
Murphy, 25, is averaging career highs of 21.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in the first season of a four-year, $112 million rookie-scale extension.
He’s also shooting a career-best 49.5% from the floor.
Murphy has drawn interest from the Warriors and Spurs, according to multiple reports. The Bucks have been rumored to inquire about Dejounte Murray as well.
Since the Pelicans are off to a disappointing 9-31 start this season, there’s still about four weeks left until the Feb. 5 trade deadline for the struggling club to change its mind on at least one of these three players.
It seems unlikely that the oft-injured Williamson will be part of New Orleans’ future.
