Thankfully, most of the Pelicans roster is under contract next season.
At the top of the shop, the three-star core of Williamson ($36,725,670), Brandon Ingram ($36,016,200) and CJ McCollum ($33,333,333) may cost in the low nine figures between them, but at least this is not as punitive as the cap-absorbing total costs of the Big Three on the Phoenix Suns. It allows them to fill out the roster with MLE-sized deals on good role players, such as those given to Herb Jones ($12,976,362) and Larry Nance Jr ($11,205,000), while also keeping free the draft capital to utilize on cheaper rookie-scale contracts for important contributors with upside such as Dyson Daniels ($6,059,520), Trey Murphy III ($5,159,854) and Jordan Hawkins ($4,525,706).
Among the starters, only Jonas Valanciunas’ $15,435,000 contract is expiring, and of the key bench players, only Naji Marshall ($1,930,681, minimum salary) is set for free agency this summer. Both are still extension-eligible, meaning that they can be extended up to and including June 30 (the last day of the 2023-24 NBA season), but in Marshall’s case, he will be anticipated a substantial pay rise, and might be better suited to hit the market. Especially since, as a four-year veteran, he will be an unrestricted free agent.
Beyond that, with few roster spots opening up, there are few immediate decisions to make. Attention will turn to potential new contracts for Ingram and Murphy, both heading into their final seasons, and eligible for veteran and rookie extensions respectively. The declining value of McCollum’s last deal combined with the ever-increasing salary cap creates some wiggle room for external additions, and if any needle-moving trades are to happen, Ingram’s contract is well suited for such a purpose.
Financially, then, the Pelicans are doing OK. The question then becomes, at what speed do they try and push on.
