Josh Hart Makes Lil Wayne Laugh by Throwing Shade at New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans have been working to establish themselves as a playoff contender but have faced numerous challenges over the past five years. Recently, they encountered another setback in their recruitment efforts. Josh Hart, a former Pelican and current New York Knicks player, shared at the Fanatics Fest with Lil Wayne and Tom Brady that players are typically not enthusiastic about being traded to the Pelicans.

“I don’t think you’ll ever hear anyone say they were excited to be traded to New Orleans. I wasn’t,” said Hart, which sent Lil Wayne laughing.

Hart, drawing from his own experience, was among the three players traded to New Orleans from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.

Known for his energetic play and hustle while with the Lakers, where he played alongside LeBron James in his rookie season, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks were traded in the summer of 2019 as part of the deal for Anthony Davis.

“The only thing I was excited about was rolling around New Orleans, listening to Lil Wayne, and going to every game,” he continued.

Though Josh Hart has been away from New Orleans for three years, his recent remarks suggest he didn’t particularly enjoy his time there. While he likely didn’t intend to offend, he openly voiced a sentiment often unspoken about many small-market NBA cities.

During his time with the Pelicans, Hart put up 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game across two and a half seasons before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers along with struggling prospects Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, and Tomas Satoransky’s contract in exchange for C.J. McCollum and Larry Nance.

The Knicks picked up the former Villanova standout in 2023, and he rapidly proved himself as a crucial asset to the team. Hart recently inked a four-year contract extension worth $80.9 million.

New Orleans, despite being rich in culture, has never been a top choice for NBA players. It struggles to compete with the appeal of larger cities like New York, LA, Miami, Boston, or Chicago and also lacks the draw of cities such as Phoenix, Philadelphia, Dallas, New Jersey, Houston, and Atlanta. Additionally, the city has a limited history of winning basketball.

Since the franchise relocated to New Orleans in 2011, the Pelicans have mostly remained competitive. They drafted Anthony Davis in 2012, providing the fan base with hope and excitement for seven seasons until his trade in the same summer Zion Williamson was drafted.

Zion was highly anticipated to become the next face of the NBA, but his career has been marred by injuries and controversy since his debut.

The Pelicans’ overall lack of appeal and consistent basketball success makes it challenging to attract free agents.

General Manager David Griffin has focused on building the franchise through trades and the draft, bringing in key players like Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III through the draft, while acquiring C.J. McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Brandon Ingram via trades.

The team has found it challenging to reach the top six in the Western Conference in recent years. They are now banking on the addition of Dejounte Murray this summer to deliver the consistent on-court performance they’ve been seeking.