Herb Jones’ Contract Should Have Plenty Of Trade Value This Summer

In New Orleans these days, the discussion is mostly about the future of Zion Williamson, and rightly so.

The power forward’s health – which is often lacking – has left the Pelicans with big questions about the future, especially as Trey Murphy has risen into near-stardom.

One player, who appears to be further down the list of priorities, is Herb Jones, one of the best wing defender in the league.

Contract is a major asset

Jones has two years left on his contract after this season, at just $13.9 million, and $14.9 million respectively.

At 26, and in the prime of his career, Jones should have oodles of trade value, despite a shoulder injury, which has him sidelined for the rest of the year.

At 6’8, with the ability to cover guards, wings, and even big men, the defensive side of the ball alone is enough to draw significant attention from outside teams.

But add in the fact that Jones hit almost 42% of his three-point shots last year, and is a much better passer than most people seem to be aware of, and it’s difficult to argue against the fascination bestowed upon him.

Setting aside the torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder – which represents his non-shooting arm – Jones doesn’t have a deep injury history, and should his contract be acquired by another team this summer – or even before the 2026 trade deadline – said team would have him for two playoff years and on good value.

What could Jones fetch?

Whether Jones fetches multiple first-round picks comes down to several factors, such as how outside teams gauge his value, as well as where such picks would end up landing.

Therefore, let’s theorize that the Pelicans are willing to move off of him by the draft. This isn’t particularly likely, as it stands to reason the Pelicans are likely to make a call on Williamson before Jones, but let’s play this out anyway.

The 2025 draft, to use an example, is projected to be good, and perhaps slightly better than average years.

Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect teams in the Cooper Flagg area to not be interested.

But how about the Houston Rockets at 12th, assuming they stay at that spot?

The Rockets appear to be planning some big moves, and an acquisition of Jones could free up Dillon Brooks, who’s on a larger contract, to work as salary filler.

The 12th pick might appear as a high return for Jones, but is it?

Given the aforementioned skill set of Jones, and considering he’s one of the most intriguing player archetypes in the league, a late-lottery pick should clearly be in the conversation.

Alternatively, Brooklyn at both 26th and 27th would also make for an interesting package, although the Nets in particular aren’t likely to pursue win-now players as they’re in the early stages of a full-on rebuild.

But if we were to assume those two selections were owned by a contender, that type of package at least makes sense for the Pelicans, even if they’ll likely need a third and final sweetener.

It would provide two young players, both attached with four years of contractual control, to New Orleans to develop. It’s fair to wonder if either player, drafted so late, would become as good as Jones, but at least they’d get two bites at the apple instead of just one.

Regardless of where the Pelicans land, in regards to trade value for Jones, he’s a name they should be silently gaging the market for, just to know what to expect if they were to make him available.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.