THE The New Orleans Pelicans are trying to establish themselves The Blue Bombers have been a playoff contender, but they’ve faced plenty of challenges over the past five years. Recently, they’ve hit another setback in their recruiting efforts. Josh Harta former and current Pelican The New York Knicks player, shared at Fanatics Fest with Lil Wayne and Tom Brady that players are generally not enthusiastic about being traded to the Pelicans.
“I don’t think you’ll ever hear anybody say they were excited to get traded to New Orleans. I wasn’t,” Hart said, prompting a laugh from Lil Wayne.
Josh Hart’s Not So Good Times With the New Orleans Pelicans
Deer, drawing on his own experiencewas one of three players traded to New Orleans by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.
Known for his energetic play and drive while with the Lakers, where he played alongside LeBron James in his rookie season, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks were traded in the summer of 2019 as part of the deal for Anthony Davis.
“The only thing I was excited about was walking around New Orleans, listening to Lil Wayne and going to all the games,” he continued.
Although Josh Hart has been away from New Orleans for three years, his recent comments suggest he hasn’t particularly enjoyed his time there. While he likely didn’t mean to offend anyone, he openly expressed an often unspoken sentiment about many small-market NBA cities.
During his time with the Pelicans, Hart averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over two and a half seasons before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers along with struggling prospects Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada and the contract of Tomas Satoransky in exchange for CJ McCollum and Larry Nance.
The Knicks signed the former Villanova star in 2023, and he quickly proved to be a crucial asset to the team. Hart recently signed a four-year contract extension worth $80.9 million.
New Orleans dreams of off-season success
New Orleans, despite its cultural richness, has never been a top choice for NBA players. It struggles to compete with the appeal of big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston or Chicago, and lacks the appeal of cities like Phoenix, Philadelphia, Dallas, New Jersey, Houston and Atlanta. Additionally, the city has a limited history of winning basketball championships.
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Since the franchise moved to New Orleans in 2011, the Pelicans have remained competitive. They drafted Anthony Davis in 2012, which gave fans hope and excitement for seven seasons until he was traded the same summer Zion Williamson was drafted.
Zion was widely expected to become the next face of the NBA, but his career has been marred by injuries and controversy since his debut.
The Pelicans’ general lack of appeal and consistent basketball success make it difficult to attract free agents.
General manager David Griffin has focused on building the franchise through trades and the draft, bringing in key players like Zion Williamson, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III through the draft, while acquiring CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray and Brandon Ingram through trades.
The team has struggled to reach the top six in the Western Conference in recent years. It is now counting on the Added Dejounte Murray this summer to deliver the consistent on-field performance they are looking for.
