The 2016–17 New Orleans Pelicans season was the 15th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
| 2016–17 New Orleans Pelicans season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Alvin Gentry |
| General manager | Dell Demps |
| Owner(s) | Tom Benson |
| Arena | Smoothie King Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 34–48 (.415) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Southwest) Conference: 10th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports New Orleans |
| Radio | WWL-FM |
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Buddy Hield | SG |  Bahamas | Oklahoma |
| 2 | 39 | David Michineau | PG |  Guadeloupe | Élan Chalon |
| 2 | 40 | Diamond Stone | C |  United States | Maryland |
All of the players drafted by the Pelicans this season would wind up being traded elsewhere sometime during the season. On June 23, 2016, both David Michineau and Diamond Stone would be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the Clippers' own second round pick in the draft, which was Cheick Diallo, a promising power forward who was born and raised in Mali, but ultimately played for the University of Kansas for one season before entering the 2016 NBA draft. Meanwhile, during the night of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, the Pelicans would trade away their top pick of the draft, Buddy Hield, alongside Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, a Top-3 protected 2017 first round pick, and the Philadelphia 76ers' own second round pick in the 2017 NBA draft to the Sacramento Kings for their star center, DeMarcus Cousins, and Omri Casspi.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roster |
All-Star Game
The Pelicans were the hosts for the NBA All-Star Game in 2017. Anthony Davis was selected by fan voting to the starting front court for the game. Anthony Davis would also receive the All-Star Game's MVP award for his production during the All-Star Game. After the All-Star Game was over, it was announced that the Pelicans would make a blockbuster move to trade their rookie Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, a Top-3 protected 2017 first round pick, and the Philadelphia 76ers' own 2017 second round pick to the Sacramento Kings for fellow All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi. The move would be officially done a day later.
Standings
Division
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – San Antonio Spurs | 61 | 21 | .744 | – | 31–10 | 30–11 | 11–5 | 82 |
| x – Houston Rockets | 55 | 27 | .671 | 6.0 | 30–11 | 25–16 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x – Memphis Grizzlies | 43 | 39 | .524 | 18.0 | 24–17 | 19–22 | 8–8 | 82 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 34 | 48 | .415 | 27.0 | 21–20 | 13–28 | 6–10 | 82 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 28.0 | 21–20 | 12–29 | 5–11 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Golden State Warriors * | 67 | 15 | .817 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – San Antonio Spurs * | 61 | 21 | .744 | 6.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Houston Rockets | 55 | 27 | .671 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 5 | y – Utah Jazz * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 47 | 35 | .573 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Memphis Grizzlies | 43 | 39 | .524 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Denver Nuggets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 27.0 | 82 |
| 10 | New Orleans Pelicans | 34 | 48 | .415 | 33.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 34.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 32 | 50 | .390 | 35.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 31 | 51 | .378 | 36.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Lakers | 26 | 56 | .317 | 41.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 24 | 58 | .293 | 43.0 | 82 |
Game log
Pre-season
| 2016 pre-season game log Total: 1–5 (Home: 1–2; Road: 0–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-season: 1–5 (home: 1–2; road: 0–3)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–17 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Transactions
Trades
| June 23, 2016 | To New Orleans Pelicans Cheick Diallo (Pick 33) | To Los Angeles Clippers David Michineau (Pick 39) Diamond Stone (Pick 40) |
| July 10, 2016 | To New Orleans Pelicans 2018 New Orleans 2nd-round pick[1] Cash considerations | To Miami Heat Luke Babbitt |
| February 20, 2017 | To New Orleans Pelicans DeMarcus Cousins[2] Omri Casspi | To Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield Tyreke Evans Langston Galloway 2017 protected 1st-round pick 2017 Philadelphia 2nd-round pick |
Free agency
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Tim Frazier[3] | 2-year contract worth $4 million |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Solomon Hill[4] | 4-year contract worth $48 million | Indiana Pacers |
| E'Twaun Moore[4] | 4-year contract worth $34 million | Chicago Bulls |
| Langston Galloway[4] | 2-year contract worth $10.7 million | New York Knicks |
| Terrence Jones[5] | 1-year contract worth $980,431 | Houston Rockets |
| Lance Stephenson[6] | 1-year contract worth $1.2 million | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Reggie Williams[7][8] | Oklahoma City Blue | |
| Donatas Motiejūnas[9] | 1-year contract worth $1.1 million | Houston Rockets |
| Jarrett Jack[10] | Brooklyn Nets |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Bryce Dejean-Jones | Died during offseason (Shot to death) | — (Deceased) |
| Lance Stephenson[11] | Waived | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Archie Goodwin | Waived | Greensboro Swarm |
| Anthony Brown | Waived | Orlando Magic / Erie Bayhawks |
| Omri Casspi[12] | Waived |