Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans Predictions and Odds to Win NBA Finals

by Spencer Toth - 10/8/2025

New Orleans Pelicans predictions Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans have completely flipped their roster upside down heading into the 2025-26 season. They were aggressive on draft day, in free agency, and with trades, and the front office is confident they have a winning formula in New Orleans. The Pelicans haven’t won a playoff series since 2018, and they came second-last in the West last season. To make matters worse, they traded away their 2026 first-round pick. The Pelicans are all-in on staying competitive this season, and it won’t be long until we find out if that was a wise move or not.

Doc’s Sports offers NBA picks for every game on our NBA predictions page.

New Orleans Pelicans Offseason Recap

The Pelicans were one of the most active teams in the offseason, and after a 21-61 season, can you blame them? It started on draft night. New Orleans selected Jeremiah Fears with the 7th overall pick. Fears is a solid point guard and a reasonable pick at 7th overall, and will likely play backup to Jordan Poole in his rookie year. However, that is where the reasonable decisions ended. 

The Pelicans traded their 26th overall pick and the most favorable 2026 first-round pick between New Orleans and the Milwaukee Bucks to Atlanta for the 13th overall pick. This was one of the most puzzling draft-day deals in recent memory, especially considering how bad the Pelicans were last season. This pick is unprotected, and considering the current state of both teams, it could be very valuable. New Orleans did pick up a solid center in Derrick Queen with their improved selection, who was projected to go inside the top 10 at the draft. However, no first-round pick next season means the Pelicans have no choice but to try and compete in a competitive Western Conference.

Since the Pelicans are no longer rebuilding, they needed to make more moves in free agency and the trade market. New Orleans acquired Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey from the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk. Poole will instantly slot into the starting point guard role for the Pelicans, and has proven he can keep teams competitive as the primary scoring option. He has gotten more efficient on the offensive end of the floor and scored a career high 20.5 PPG last season with another career high in three-point percentage (37.8%). Poole will make the Pelicans far more watchable on offense, and his partnership with Dejounte Murray will be crucial for this team’s success. 

Bey will be another key contributor on both ends of the court, and is the perfect secondary piece to receive in the McCollum trade. Bey can score from a variety of places on the court, but his real asset is his defense. His 6’11 wingspan is perfect for disrupting passing lanes, and Bey won’t be dragged into the paint as the Pelicans have no shortage of big men on their roster. 

New Orleans Pelicans Season Expectations

The Pelicans have talent on their roster, but keeping their team healthy has been a real struggle. Brandon Ingram (who was traded at the deadline), Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Zion Williamson combined for just 99 games last season. The Pelicans will undoubtedly struggle if their best players play 25 or fewer games again this season, and the best ability in the NBA is availability.

Given the Pelicans' peculiar offseason moves, tanking is not an option. New Orleans will be fighting hard for a spot in the playoffs until game 82, and it has the roster needed to compete. Zion Williamson is a truly unstoppable force when he’s healthy, but that just hasn’t been a common occurrence in his NBA career. There are rumblings that Zion is as healthy and in shape as ever going into the new season, but that is something we will have to see to believe. A majority of the Pelicans starters are beginning to enter their prime, and the front office is going all-in that this is the season they can finally all stay healthy at the same time. 

New Orleans Pelicans Schedule Breakdown

The Pelicans will find out quickly if they are going to contend this season, as they play 7 of their first 10 games away from home. That includes trips to Denver, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and San Antonio. A tough start leads into 8 of their next 9 at home, which should give the Pelicans a chance to reset if things go south. They’ll get to spend most of the holiday season at home, as they have just two road games from December 8th until the end of 2025. 

New Orleans Pelicans Odds

The Pelicans have a win total of 31.5 this season, and are long shots to make the playoffs. New Orleans has +630 odds to make the playoffs, and only +350 odds to make the play-in tournament. The oddsmakers are expecting the Pelicans to be around 12th place in the West, and it is hard to argue with that. A stacked Western Conference brimming with contenders means the Pelicans will need to be perfect if they hope to compete for a playoff spot. If they do make the playoffs, New Orleans has +17500 odds to win the West and +35000 odds to win the NBA Finals. The oddsmakers think it is much more likely that the Pelicans finish near the bottom of the West, with +1500 and +125 odds for them to finish last or inside the bottom two, respectively. In the NBA Cup, New Orleans is +1000 to finish on top of a group containing the Clippers, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Mavericks. 

2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Pelicans are expected to be bad this season, but the 31.5 win total doesn’t take into account the fact that they have traded away their 2026 first-round pick. Even if the Pelicans are effectively knocked out of playoff contention, they will keep fighting until the end of the season while other bottom feeders look ahead to the draft. I expect them to finish 38-44 this season, and they could even finish .500 if everyone stays healthy. This is a team brimming with talent that hasn’t been able to get everything to click. If Williamson stays healthy, their two talented rookies make an impact, and the rest of the starters continue to gel, they could even sneak into the playoffs. The first two picks are over 31.5 wins and 35+ wins at +178, and you could even sprinkle on 40+ wins at +450. However, the better play to make is for New Orleans to qualify for the play-in tournament at +350. These are the kind of odds we look for when tying up a portion of our bankroll for an entire season. The +350 price offers enough upside to take a shot, and the over on their standard win total should pay for this wager if the Pelicans fall just short. The New Orleans front office has made its aspirations this season very clear, and now is the perfect time to buy with a rock-bottom price on the Pelicans. 

Pick: Pelicans Over 31.5 Wins -110

Pick: Pelicans 35+ Wins +178

Top Pick: Pelicans Qualify for the Play-in Tournament +350

Get NBA picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent NBA Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers