1. Derrick Favors
The list starts with a technicality because why not. Derrick Favors will be an unrestricted free agent and should be priority number one for the Pelicans. While Zion Williamson has taken a lot of the credit recently and Brandon Ingram early in the year, Favors has been the lynchpin for the Pelicans.
With Favors on the court, New Orleans has a +5.8 net rating, which would rank them sixth in the league, along with top ten offensive and defense rankings. With him off the court, the offensive and defensive ratings plummet to bottom ten and the net rating would rank 25th.
Favors has been vitally important to New Orleans’ success this season. Aside from matching any offer sheet with Brandon Ingram or agreeing to contract independently, retaining Favors should be priority number one.