Shamit Dua of In The N.O. reported Wednesday that teams around the league are monitoring New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones. The Pelicans have held firm at an asking price near two first-round picks, and no team has met it.
Jones is averaging a career-low 17.1 minutes through three games, all off the bench, as the Pelicans opened 0-3 under first-year coach Jamahl Mosley. He played about 17 minutes in the opener against Indiana, 18 at Utah and 16 at Denver.
He averaged 28.4 minutes across 56 games last season.
New Orleans lost all three games by a combined 10 points. Tyrese Haliburton scored 23 in his return from injury as the Indiana Pacers won the Oct. 21 opener 123-120. The Utah Jazz won 120-119 two nights later, and Jamal Murray scored 42 points in the Nuggets’ 141-135 overtime win Saturday.
Mosley has paired second-year guard Jeremiah Fears with Dejounte Murray in the starting backcourt.
“In this moment right now, Herb is the ultimate professional in where he is and finding more time for him is going to be a key priority for me,” Mosley said Tuesday.
“And I know that as a defensive coach, there’s no way for me to look around it… We talked about doing things in a five-game sample size and seeing what it looks like and where it can be and what we can do, but again, high priority to make sure that we continue to see Herb on the floor more.”
A day earlier, Fletcher Mackel of WDSU posted video of Joe Dumars, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, talking with Jones after Monday’s practice. Dua wrote that the clip added to speculation about Jones’ future.
Dua also reported that many around the league believe Jones’ value will keep dropping if his minutes stay sporadic. Several playoff teams still view him as a strong fit on and off the floor, according to Dua.
Jones is earning $14.9 million this season, the final year of the four-year, $53.8 million deal he signed in 2023. His three-year, $67.6 million extension, signed in July 2025, starts next season at $20.9 million and carries a $24.2 million player option for 2029-30.
New Orleans selected Jones in the second round, No. 35 overall, in 2021. He earned All-Defensive First Team honors in 2023-24.
Last season he averaged 8.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He shot 38.3 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from 3-point range. Through three games this season, he is averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds.
