As the New Orleans Pelicans are expected to be busy ahead of the trade deadline, the organization has reportedly made rookie Herb Jones off-limits in negotiations, according to Marc Stein on Substack.
The Pelicans on Tuesday reportedly acquired C.J. McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell from the Portland Trail Blazers. New Orleans will be sending Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky and Didi Louzada to Portland as part of that trade.
According to the report, the team views Jones as a core player moving forward, along with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas and the three incoming players from Portland. The front office could even look to add to that group ahead of the deadline on Thursday.
League sources say that the Pelicans, no matter how the next few days play out for them, are trying to fortify their Zion Williamson/Brandon Ingram/Jonas Valančiūnas/Herbert Jones core. Translation: Valančiūnas and the emerging rookie defensive ace Jones are indeed off-limits.
Jones, who was selected to compete in the NBA Rising Stars game, is averaging 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals in 50 games this season. He played sparingly to begin the season but has since become a full-time starter for head coach Willie Green.
The 35th pick Jones has put in countless hours in the gym this season to improve and that has resonated with his coaches and teammates. He has consistently produced when called upon and that has resulted in a strong rookie campaign to this point of the season.
After starting 1-12 this season, the Pelicans have gone 20-20 and moved up to 10th in the Western Conference. They have played without Williamson this season but should be able to maintain ground in the play-in race with McCollum, Nance and Snell now on the roster.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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