NBA Panic Meter: Pelicans are a winless disaster — is it time to trade Zion Williamson?

There’s no need to mince words — things are bad in New Orleans. Really bad. Referring to the Pelicans as an utter disaster would qualify as a euphemism at this point.

Following the Pelicans’ 31-point loss to the champs over the weekend, they are without a win in six tries, 28th in offense, 29th in defense, dead last in assists and rank even lower than that in vibes, optimism and outlook. If starting DeAndre Jordan in the year 2025 wasn’t the biggest indicator of a team in disarray, the early returns portray a group of lost individuals without a plan or direction.

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So where should the blame for this mess be attributed? The head coach is oftentimes the first in line when teams grossly underperform, and a handful of rival front offices expected Willie Green to have been relieved of his duties as early as Monday morning. But Green alone isn’t the cause of this catastrophe. Green can only work with the roster that’s been given to him by head of basketball operations Joe Dumars and general manager Troy Weaver.

(Green’s schemes, lineup combinations and overall on-court product have been a relative dud, but his most-used group — Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Yves Missi and Jeremiah Fears — has actually outscored opponents by 11 points in 30 minutes!)

(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

There was a world that existed where even if the Pelicans continued on their current path, the franchise would head into the summer of 2026 flush with cap space and tantalizing draft assets in a class with names like Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa.

Unfortunately, New Orleans chose the other door, the one full of asset mismanagement and miscalculations. Swapping out control of Indiana’s 2026 first-rounder for its 2025 selection (the 23rd pick) was premature, overshooting expectations for that Pacers team that made it to the Finals. To then package that ’25 pick with another unprotected 2026 first (more favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee) and select big man Derik Queen with the No. 13 pick — a year after taking center Yves Missi — is just odd. Perhaps the Pelicans planned on playing Queen and Missi more than the eight total minutes they’ve shared the floor so far, according to NBA.com tracking data. That would at least make some sense in a double big, post-Zion world, but right now it just looks like the Pelicans are more consumed with just getting a win than developing.

Sorting out New Orleans’ cap sheet over the next few years is also a chore. The decision to dip into the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Kevon Looney (sure, another big!) hard-capped the Pelicans at the first apron, which limits their flexibility.

Look, it’s not all doom and gloom — by 2027, the Pelicans could theoretically have both Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray off the books. There’s also the option to push the red button and ship Zion — while he’s healthy and producing at a high level — to a better situation and start afresh. But man, the optics around this team are in the mud, and it might get a lot worse before it improves.

Panic meter: High. Super high. Uber high.

Ja Morant’s missteps in Memphis

Any hopes of an emphatic return for Ja Morant off a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the organization were dashed on Monday night; a listless 5-for-16, five-turnover performance in a 114-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Grizzlies have now lost three in a row, Morant’s efficiency continues to crater and his postgame interviews are going viral for all the wrong reasons.

Morant just seems disconnected right now. There was a similar vibe to James Harden’s final days in Houston during the 2020-21 season, when short, monotone answers became more frequent. The chatter around the league suggests the electric guard just isn’t vibing with new head coach Tuomas Iisalo and the revamped staff, from substitution patterns to style of play and even on a personal level — in ways he connected with former assistants Blake Ahearn and Anthony Carter.

The Grizzlies, who ranked dead last in pick-and-rolls per game during the 2024-25 season, are now up to 11th in frequency, yet are scoring a measly .79 points per chance. Morant’s rim rate is way down, now just at 25% of his total shots. Iisalo’s emphasis on pace (seventh) isn’t translating to actual efficient offense (26th, per Cleaning the Glass), and Morant’s 3-point shot has completely abandoned him (15.6% on 5.3 attempts per). Simply put, it’s not working.

I appreciate Morant for not shying away from interviews and expressing himself, albeit clearly frustrated and in an offensive rut (Memphis is still nearly nine points better defensively with him on the floor). But the longer this drags on, the more trade rumors will swirl. One high-ranking executive deemed Morant “too high risk” to realistically consider monitoring the situation. Another doubted Morant could fetch a similar return as former teammate Desmond Bane, who garnered four unprotected firsts and a pick swap. But in reality, what is Morant’s value around the NBA right now? Would the Kings call and offer a package around DeMar DeRozan and Dennis Schröder? Could the Suns, who could use a point guard, offer Jalen Green? Perhaps something out of the box like Cleveland?

Maybe we’ve reached a stage where both parties would benefit from a split. The Grizzlies still have talent on the roster, pieces to build around Jaren Jackson Jr. and the emergence of rookie Cedric Coward to look forward to. But it’s disappointing watching one of the most electric guards around seemingly searching for a circuit breaker.

Panic meter: Tempestuous. Almost like walking on eggshells.

The Clippers are giving up 3s. A lot of them

Los Angeles is 3-3, which is a decent start given the state of the Western Conference, but if the Clippers’ title aspirations are legitimate, their 3-point defense (which was top five last season) needs a tune-up. Oklahoma City, the 2025 champs, were No. 1 in opponent 3-point defense. The Boston Celtics, the 2024 champions, were No. 4. The Nuggets were the No. 3 unit in 2023.

After Monday, the Clippers are 26th in 3-point defense, according to Cleaning the Glass. Not good.

And they’ve surrendered the fifth-most 3s. Not good.

They recently escaped the jaws of defeat to the *checks notes* winless Pelicans on Friday night by virtue of a Kawhi Leonard buzzer beater, on a night when New Orleans connected on 18 3s, seven of which came from Jordan Poole. Not good.

The Clippers’ most-used lineup features Bradley Beal and James Harden, two veterans in their mid-30s who were never the most adept shot contesters in their youth, let alone now. As lost as the Pelicans currently are, they’re smart enough to know those two in particular are weak links.

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Clippers have played 115 possessions with both Harden and Beal on the floor. They’ve allowed a shade under 130 points per 100 possessions. Not good.

Tyronn Lue has a very deep roster at his disposal. It’s up to him to find the balance between getting better team defenders on the floor while keeping his veterans fresh for a long season. When Leonard shares the floor with the second unit (Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, Kris Dunn and John Collins), the Clippers allow just 106 points per 100 possessions. Not bad!

One potential solution is just to embrace switching more with the starters. Los Angeles does a decent job of forcing mistakes, ranking 13th in turnover rate per Cleaning the Glass. Sure, the Clippers run the risk of having either Harden or Beal targeted in isolation. But Leonard and Ivica Zubac are excellent rotational help defenders, and slowing down opponent 3-point rate is a surefire way of improving as a team.

Panic Meter: Not ringing the alarm yet, but one to watch

Orlando’s offensive woes

Have you ever been more confused about something the longer you paid attention to it?

One such example is Game of Thrones. The other is Orlando’s half-court offense, currently fourth worst in the NBA.

When the Magic acquired Desmond Bane in an offseason blockbuster trade, the consensus was the 27-year-old was the missing piece on an Orlando team that struggled offensively. Adding Bane, a bona fide three-level scorer with playmaking upside, would give the Magic much-needed floor spacing, open up lanes for Paolo Banchero and turn this franchise into a contender.

That hasn’t quite happened yet. And it’s kind of odd.

For one, the Magic have transformed into this rim-battering machine. Last season, Orlando was just outside the bottom five in points in the paint. This season, the Magic are up to sixth (56 points per game). Their rim rate has jumped from 12th to first in the same time frame.

On paper, some of it makes sense. Orlando technically isn’t a double-big team, but Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. are all 6-foot-10. Both Banchero (94 total drives) and Wagner (74) are among the top 25 in frequency. Bane, with 70, isn’t too far behind.

Their inside-outside balance has suffered because of it. The Magic now take just 30% of their shots from 3, 29th in the NBA a season after hovering around 37%. Banchero, who is shooting less than 30% from behind the arc, simply isn’t respected as an outside threat and is treated more like a downhill driving big man.

Bane is shooting just 25.8% from 3, but I’d expect those numbers to trend up the more games he shares the floor with Jalen Suggs. There’s just a bit more pop to Suggs than Anthony Black or Tyus Jones, who are fine options but not as versatile. If opposing defenses continue to dare Banchero to shoot, keeping Suggs on the same side is a nice counter.

One way the Magic have found success leveraging Banchero’s lack of shooting is by actually using him as a screener, forcing the defense to collapse if either Wagner or Bane is the ball-handler. It’s a different look than if Banchero is camped in the corner and defenses can sag off him, paying more attention to constricting the paint.

Maybe using Banchero more as a big helps with other areas of his game, particularly his shot selection. Since he entered the league, Banchero has essentially hovered around the lower quartile in points per shot attempt. He leads the team in touches and time of possession, but where he’s getting those touches is critical. More paint touches (only 2.1 per game, scoring 1.33 points per) should be the goal, which hopefully equates to more perimeter touches for the likes of Bane, Suggs and Wagner. Less 3s for Banchero and more for Bane/Suggs/Wagner should stabilize Orlando’s half-court woes.

Panic Meter: Slightly concerning, but should improve with more games