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Report: No imminent decision to sell Pelicans

Sean Gardner / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With the death of longtime New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson over the weekend, discussion regarding the future of the NBA franchise in the city has resurfaced.

Both teams have been inherited by Benson's wife Gayle, but neither will be sold for the time being, a source told NBA TV's David Aldridge.

"There may be some changes later, but nothing imminent or early," Aldridge's source said.

Questions about the future viability of the Pelicans in New Orleans are not new. The Crescent City is the NBA's second-smallest media market, and the Pels take a clear backseat to the Saints in terms of the local sporting pecking order. Additionally, the population of Orleans Parish is almost 100,000 less than it was before Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Further, NBA franchise values are skyrocketing. The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers both sold for over $2 billion in the last four years, and the Brooklyn Nets were valued at $2.3 billion in a stakeholder shakeup last fall. With cities such as Seattle vying for an NBA team, it's plausible the Pelicans could end up on the market within the next few years.

Gayle Benson inherited full control of her late husband's assets after a family drama a few years ago that saw Benson's children try to rule their father mentally incompetent after being removed from his will.

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