Jose

Alvarado

Undrafted out of college, Alvarado has carved out a consistent place for himself within the Pelicans rotation. Last season, “Grand Theft Alvarado” averaged 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 3-pointers in 18.4 minutes. He wasn’t an essential player to have rostered in fantasy leagues, and that’s unlikely to change this season with the Pelicans acquiring Dejounte Murray. In short, Alvarado is more valuable to Pelicans coach Willie Green than to fantasy managers, but occasionally, he will have streaming value. The second season of the contract (2026-27) is a player option.

Alvarado struggled mightily in their loss to Serbia on Wednesday, and while he wasn’t able to change the outcome of this game, he was far more effective. He was the team’s leading scorer and was one of three players to score in double figures. They finished 0-3 in group play, so the next time we will see Alvarado suit up will be back in New Orleans, where he will be the backup point guard behind Dejounte Murray.

Puerto Rico will participate in the men’s basketball competition at the Summer Olympics for the first time since 2004, and Alvarado led the way in Sunday’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament final. The Pelicans guard takes on a vastly different role with Puerto Rico, taking on more scoring responsibilities. Alvarado led Puerto Rico in scoring while also knocking down four 3-pointers. While he only recorded one steal on the day, the point guard’s point-of-attack defense was crucial. Puerto Rico will compete in Group C in Paris, joining the United States, Serbia, and South Sudan.

Daniels was never able to carve out a large role for the Pelicans during his two seasons with the team, and now he will get a fresh start with Atlanta. He will likely fill out as one of the backup guards behind Trae Young, alongside Kobe Bufkin. He has a lot of room for growth, but in the short-term, he will provide solid defense off the bench. His departure will allow Jose Alvarado to fully take the reins as the backup point guard behind Dejounte Murray, though CJ McCollum will likely soak up some of those minutes as well.

To begin with a positive, McCollum recorded a full stat line as the Pelicans earned the 8-seed in the West. However, he had another quiet night on offense, with Friday’s effort occurring with Zion Williamson (hamstring) sidelined. The good news for the Pelicans is that their bench stepped up, with Jose Alvarado (10/5/2/2/1 with one 3-pointer) and Naji Marshall (13/4/3/2) reaching double figures. The bench contributions will be critical against the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, but the Pelicans will need more from McCollum regardless of how well the reserves play.

Alvarado was in the rotation after missing five games with a strained oblique, and he made up for lost time in Phoenix. He made five of his nine 3-point attempts while also serving as an irritant, essentially par for the course for “Grand Theft Alvarado.” His performance was a quality supplement to starting point guard CJ McCollum, who tallied 31 points, four rebounds, five assists, and seven 3-pointers in 41 minutes. Alvarado’s season-long fantasy value is well off the radar, but he’s worth a look in leagues that run through Week 24 due to the continued absence of Brandon Ingram.

Williamson is back after a one-game absence, while Alvarado has not played since March 26. The former’s return means Dyson Daniels will come off the bench, where he offers limited fantasy value at best. Alvarado gives the Pelicans a true point guard to back up CJ McCollum, but fantasy managers should not expect too much from him in his first game back.

Alvarado has missed New Orleans’ last five games, freeing up additional minutes for Dyson Daniels. Following the practice, Pelicans coach Willie Green said Alvarado is closer to a return than Brandon Ingram, who has been out since March 21 with a knee injury.

Alvarado’s continued absence will allow Dyson Daniels to fill out the backup point guard minutes once again. Daniels has produced top-75 value during their last three games since he returned from knee surgery, with most of his value coming from his steals.

Alvarado will miss a fourth consecutive game, leaving Dyson Daniels to assume the backup point guard role. He’s unlikely to play enough to merit being streamed in most fantasy leagues, as the Pelicans can also use Zion Williamson as a primary playmaker.