The New Orleans Pelicans spent the offseason trying to reshape a messy roster around a once-unstoppable talent, but injuries and new arrivals have left the franchise in limbo. Zion Williamson has been available only sporadically, and in recent years, his availability has been a problem for the team that drafted him first overall in 2019. The Pelicans still carry heavy salary commitments and added Jordan Poole this summer, moves that were meant to inject scoring but also created fresh questions about how minutes and shots will be divided.

Offseason signings and draft picks reshuffled the depth chart, but chemistry concerns followed Poole to New Orleans and media chatter widened the gap between hopes and reality. The trade that brought Poole included salary that pushes the team into a tight

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