The buzz around the New Orleans Pelicans was loud heading into the 2026 NBA Draft. They were reportedly aggressive in their attempts to trade back into the first round, with Nate Ament's name emerging as their reported top target. The reporting about Trey Murphy and Herb Jones in the week leading up to the draft also suggested that a splashy trade was imminent. Then, the draft happened without a peep from the Pelicans. The tension was building throughout the night until Ament was off the board. Pelicans fans were preparing for a Shams Charania post announcing a blockbuster trade, but nothing materialized. Perhaps some fans were disappointed that the Pelicans weren't more active, but it's safe to say that their inability to acquire a first-round pick may have saved them from themselves. Pelicans Are Better Off Not Trading into Round 1Presumably, the reason why the Pelicans couldn't make a trade was their high asking price for Trey Murphy and Herb Jones. Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver were reportedly looking for a Desmond Bane-type package (i.e. four first-round picks and a pick swap) for Trey Murphy. Per reports, they were also asking for two first-rounders for Jones. Teams around the league would be right to hesitate. Any team willing to trade their entire draft capital for Murphy would be doing so to be title contenders. Finding a team that has so many assets that are also a Trey Murphy away from contention is not easy. Jones, on the other hand, has had serious availability issues over the last two years and took a big step back offensively. Two first-round picks would be considered a hefty price to pay, regardless of how valuable a defender he is. There were concerns that the Pelicans would make a similarly aggressive move as they made last season to acquire Derik Queen on draft day. They ended up moving their 2026 first-round pick (which ended up being the No. 8 pick) and the No. 23 pick just to move up ten spots to select Queen. This left the Pelicans without their first-round pick this year, without making them any better on the court last season. Moving on from one of your valuable starters to draft Ament would have been a similarly disappointing trade that could have set the franchise further back. Trading away Murphy or Jones could still be a smart decision after the draft, but the Pelicans can now prioritize getting as much draft capital and future assets as possible, rather than focusing too much on adding a first-round pick in this year's draft. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow