Draymond Green becomes the latest to hint that the New Orleans Pelicans should relocate due to poor stadium attendance

The Golden State Warriors traveled to the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, November 17 (Philippine Standard Time) during the 2025–26 NBA season.

The Warriors dominated the contest, winning 124–106, led by standout performances from Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, who finished with 32 and 19 points, respectively. But the biggest talking point after the game was the sparse crowd, as the Pelicans struggled to draw fans to the Smoothie King Center, leaving the arena notably half-empty.

Warriors superstar Draymond Green—never shy about voicing his opinion—hinted that the Pelicans might need to consider relocation, noting that he is unaccustomed to playing in such quiet arenas.

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“Quieting the home crowd is always fun. This crowd wasn’t too loud to begin with, so yeah. Yeah, you know, the Steph Curry show. It usually travels on the road, but hey, this place is. Whew, it’s tough in here. Tough. Very tough in here. Might want to take a look,” Green said in a postgame interview.

Draymond Green says small crowd for Warriors game a sign NBA should ‘take a look’ at Pelicans https://t.co/JGNpjAw1rg

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“It definitely impacts it. You know, you want to go in full arenas. It also helps the entire league out, so the league might want to take a look. It’s interesting. Might need to take a look,” he added.

Green is not alone in questioning the Pelicans’ viability in New Orleans. Former Pelicans players DeMarcus Cousins and Kendrick Perkins have also criticized the team’s fan engagement, highlighting the challenges the franchise faces in attracting crowds.

“I think it was time five or six years ago, especially for New Orleans. I mean, you go to the games, it’s all about 36 people there. Courtside’s 25. It’s not really much going. There is not much success happening for just that part of it. There hasn’t been any success. There just hasn’t. It’s time,” Cousins said.

Perkins added, “I played in New Orleans. Here is the problem with New Orleans. I understand where DeMarcus is coming from, where Biz Cuz is coming from, because he played there. They are always going to be second to the New Orleans Saints. That city is all about the New Orleans Saints. They don’t give a d*** about the Pelicans. You have to f****** win in order to fill seats up.”

Despite the criticisms and low attendance, Pelicans owner Gayle Benson recently confirmed she has no plans to sell or relocate the franchise.

On the court, however, the Pelicans have struggled mightily. The team has started the 2025–26 season poorly, sitting at the bottom of the NBA Western Conference standings with a 2–12 record.

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