New Orleans Pelicans

Covers the 6 tracked contracts at the top of this cap sheet — not the full 15-man roster · methods →

RetoolingApron exposureLow
Front Office Brief

NOP carries $105M of tracked production (15th of 30) against $146M of true cost, netting −$41.1M of surplus (16th of 30).

Tracked production$105M
Tracked true cost$146M
Net surplus−$41.1M
Tracked contracts6
FSI gradeC · 55/100
Move off Zion Williamson's money

Zion Williamson carries −$22.9M of negative surplus on $127M across 3 years. It grades "needs-sweetener" — the front office's biggest lever is finding the exit before the term shortens the buyer pool further.

New Orleans Pelicans · Franchise Strategy IndexExperimental
Overall55/100C

Weighted profile led by cap flexibility (71/100).

Roster quality52/100D

$105M of tracked production ranks 15th of 30 tracked teams.

Cap flexibility71/100B

$146M committed at the below-apron tier — room to operate.

Asset base48/100D

−$41.1M of aggregate surplus ranks 16th of 30 tracked teams.

Championship window50/100D

Blend of 52th-pct production now and 48th-pct surplus to build on.

Downside risk (inverse — higher is safer)55/100C

28% of spend sits in negative-surplus money (moderate concentration).

Optionality58/100C

0 positive-asset contracts plus open cap sheet.

Roster thesis

NOP carries $105M of tracked production (15th of 30) against $146M of true cost, netting −$41.1M of surplus (16th of 30). That profile reads retooling: an overall C-grade roster (55/100) whose defining trait is cap flexibility (71/100).

Best asset
Yves MissiFairly priced

Yves Missi is the surplus engine: −$0.2M on $3.4M, 0.9 marginal wins of production.

Worst liability
Zion WilliamsonAlbatross risk

Zion Williamson is the drag: −$22.9M under water on $127M still owed over 3 years.

Apron exposure
Tracked booksLowMajority of tracked salary sits below the apron — no penalty multiplier, $146M of clean cap.
Next Decision

Move off Zion Williamson's money

Zion Williamson carries −$22.9M of negative surplus on $127M across 3 years. It grades "needs-sweetener" — the front office's biggest lever is finding the exit before the term shortens the buyer pool further.

Warning

Strategic warning

Concentration risk: Zion Williamson's −$22.9M deal can swallow the flexibility the rest of the sheet creates.

New Orleans Pelicans · Cap Sheet6 contracts tracked

This is BOW’s curated slice of New Orleans Pelicans’s books, not the full roster — totals below cover only the 6 tracked contracts shown here.

Tracked cap committed$146M
Production value$105M
True cost$146M
Total AASV−$41.1M
Tracked cap hits
Model Assumptions

AASV = wins × $/win − cap hit × apron multiplier. Set the knobs to your own front-office judgment — every number on this page updates live.

$3.5M
What one marginal win costs on the open market.
1.50×
How much a first-apron team's dollar really costs (tax bill, shrinking roster tools).
2.00×
The punitive tier — frozen picks, no salary aggregation, repeater tax.
Best valueFairly priced
Yves Missi

$3.4M cap hit

−$0.2M AASV

Biggest holeAlbatross risk
Zion Williamson

$39.4M cap hit

−$22.9M AASV

PlayerCap hitAASVVerdict
Zion Williamson$39.4M−$22.9MAlbatross risk
Jordan Poole$32.0M−$5.1MPaying a premium
Dejounte Murray$30.0M−$4.9MPaying a premium
Trey Murphy III$28.0M−$5.0MPaying a premium
Herbert Jones$13.5M−$3.0MPaying a premium
Yves Missi$3.4M−$0.2MFairly priced