New Orleans Pelicans 2026-27 roster: a fresh start under Jamahl Mosley after a lost season

A 26-56 finish closes out a lost season

New Orleans wrapped the 2025-2026 regular season at 26-56, landing 11th in the Western Conference, according to CBS Sports' team page. That win total holds up under a separate look at the season's game logs, which count 26 victories for the Pelicans across NBA regular-season play in 2025-2026.

The season produced individual bright spots — Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson both cleared 20 points a game — but not enough winning to match. That gap between individual production and team results set the stage for the front office to overhaul both the coaching staff and parts of the roster heading into the 2026-2027 campaign.

The 26-56 record also arrived with instability on the sideline. Willie Green was dismissed as head coach, and James Borrego served as interim coach before the Pelicans hired a permanent successor. That coaching search, and its outcome, now shapes how New Orleans enters the new season.

Willie Green out, James Borrego bridges the gap, Jamahl Mosley steps in

Willie Green's tenure in New Orleans ended with a cumulative record of 148-180 since taking over in 2021, according to a report relayed by WLOXTV. James Borrego stepped in as interim coach to close out the transition before the Pelicans moved on to a permanent hire.

That hire arrived on May 18, 2026, when New Orleans announced Jamahl Mosley as its next head coach, ending Borrego's interim run, according to NBA.com. CBS Sports confirmed the move, reporting that "the New Orleans Pelicans have hired former Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley as their next head coach, the team announced Monday." The Athletic added that the Pelicans signed Mosley to a five-year deal, per league sources, and noted that Mosley, 47, spent the last five seasons as the Orlando Magic's head coach before making the jump to New Orleans.

Mosley now inherits a roster coming off a 26-56 season, with a five-year runway to build something more consistent. His background running Orlando for half a decade gives New Orleans a coach with a full body of head-coaching work to lean on, a contrast with the interim arrangement that closed out 2025-2026.

Draft-night gambles and a shorthanded Dejounte Murray shape the roster

New Orleans entered the 2025 draft with the No. 7 pick and used it on Jeremiah Fears. The Pelicans did not stop there. According to a report relayed by NOLAnews on Facebook, the team then traded an unprotected 2026 first-round pick along with the 23rd selection to move up and take Derik Queen at No. 13. SI.com's On SI framed the move in similar terms, writing that New Orleans "gave up their own 2026 first-round pick to acquire him in the 2025 NBA Draft," a sign of how much value the front office placed on Queen.

That draft-night investment came alongside instability elsewhere in the backcourt. Dejounte Murray appeared in just 16 games in 2025-2026, averaging 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 24.3 minutes while shooting 48.4% from the field and 30.6% on 3-points, with 14 starts. No source consulted establishes why Murray's season was cut so short.

The active roster registered for 2026-2027 also reflects some turnover. Jose Alvarado, who played 44 games for New Orleans in 2025-2026, does not appear among the 19 players listed on the team's active roster for the coming season.

Projected top group: Murphy III, Williamson, Bey, Fears and Queen lead by production

No official starting five for 2026-2027 has been confirmed by any source. Based on 2025-2026 production alone, five names stand out as the roster's most established performers heading into camp.

Trey Murphy III led the group, appearing in 67 games with averages of 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 34.9 minutes, shooting 47.2% from the field and 38.1% on 3-points, with 66 starts. Zion Williamson followed at 20.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists across 64 games, shooting an efficient 59.8% from the floor, though just 25.0% on 3-points, with 55 starts.

Saddiq Bey played 73 games and posted 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 45.1% shooting and 36.7% on 3-points, starting 64 times. Jeremiah Fears played all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 25.7 minutes on 43.4% shooting, with 49 starts.

Derik Queen, the other half of New Orleans' draft-night trade-up, appeared in 81 games and averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 47.4% shooting, with 48 starts.

Together, that group represents the clearest picture of New Orleans' most productive returning pieces, even without a confirmed opening lineup from the team or Mosley's staff.

Bench depth: Poole, Jones, Missi and the rest of the rotation

Behind that top group, New Orleans carries a rotation mixing veterans and complementary role players. Herbert Jones appeared in 58 games, averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 38.3% shooting while starting 56 times.

Jordan Poole played 63 games but started just 8, averaging 8.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in only 14.8 minutes on 37.2% shooting. Bryce McGowens contributed 6.4 points on an efficient 48.1% from the field and 40.9% on 3-points across 53 games. Yves Missi averaged 5.5 points and 5.6 rebounds on 54.6% shooting over 69 games, with 14 starts.

Karlo Matkovic added 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds on 60.2% shooting and 42.2% on 3-points in 66 games, while Jordan Hawkins played all 82 games but in a limited 8.4 minutes per night, scoring 3.1 points. Kevon Looney and DeAndre Jordan rounded out the frontcourt depth, each logging heavy game counts — 77 and 81 respectively — in minimal minutes as veteran interior options.

Fears, Queen and Missi headline New Orleans' development track

Fears, Queen and Missi are the roster's youngest recent additions by production profile. Fears logged a full 82-game rookie season, a workload that speaks to his durability even as his efficiency numbers — 43.4% shooting, 32.9% on 3-points — leave room to grow.

Queen's rookie campaign came with the added weight of the draft capital New Orleans surrendered to get him, having traded an unprotected 2026 first-round pick and the 23rd overall selection to move up to No. 13. His 11.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, paired with 48 starts, suggest an early foothold in the rotation.

Missi, meanwhile, posted the most efficient shooting mark of the group at 54.6% from the field, alongside 5.6 rebounds a game across 69 appearances. None of the three profiles as a finished product yet, but each represents a building block Mosley inherits as he installs his system.

What comes next for Mosley's Pelicans

Mosley now takes over a team that finished 26-56 with real individual talent but no cohesive results, a young core in Fears, Queen and Missi still finding its footing, and a Murray situation that left New Orleans without a full season from one of its veteran guards. How he blends that mix during training camp will start to answer whether last season's 11th-place finish in the West was a low point or a sign of deeper issues the front office still has to solve.