Jose Alvarado faced his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, for the first time on Tuesday night since being traded to the New York Knicks at the deadline nearly two months ago. Alvarado was a beloved member of the locker room and was a bundle of energy whenever he was on the court, and when the two teams met on Tuesday it was clear that he remains great friends with several people in the opposing locker room.

Before the Knicks’ 121-116 win, Alvarado go and meet People he became friends with during his time with Pelican. The Knicks guard hugged the Pelicans’ commentary duo of Joel Meyers and Antonio Daniels, exchanged some encouraging words with Dejounte Murray, and flirted with Trey Murphy III, as caught on camera via the Pelicans Film Room on X (formerly Twitter).

Jose Alvarado hugging his former teammates this morning pic.twitter.com/PMd9kTjviy

– Pelican Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) 24 March 2026

The Pelicans may ultimately not want to lose Alvarado, but given his plight during the 2025-26 season, they had to get whatever assets they could for someone who could leave in free agency at the end of the season.

With the Knicks, Alvarado once again gets a chance to compete in the playoffs, although Pelicans fans feel a strange tug in their hearts every time they see him traded to another team.

Jose Alvarado will play big playoff minutes for the Knicks

The Knicks have been interested in bringing in Alvarado for some time, and Miles McBride’s injury has further encouraged them to acquire the beloved Pelicans guard via trade.

Alvarado has his place in the playoff rotation for being a defensive pest, and he doesn’t shy away from the moment. They also have a tendency to be forceful to some extent. The Knicks will need to make open shots in the playoffs to justify giving him minutes.

On Tuesday night, the Charlotte Hornets visited the Chicago Bulls and defeated them on their own homecourt by 32 points, 131-99. This marked Coby White’s return to the United Center for the first time as a member of the Hornets, after the Bulls dealt him away before the trade deadline for Collin Sexton and some second-round picks.

White made his debut for the Hornets on Tuesday night against a familiar foe and he scored 10 points on 4-9 shooting from the field against his former team. The Hornets were able to get him into action, which was important considering that the calf injury he was dealing with was serious enough to cost him a low second-round pick in a trade to the Bulls.

It was certainly an emotional night for White, considering he spent the first six and a half seasons of his career with the Bulls. Bulls fans also acknowledged his contributions to the team during his tenure in the Windy City and White appreciated the warm welcome He received.

“You really don’t know how much of an impact you have on people. And what an impact people have on me. I get a lot of applause and whatever, but so many people are here tonight, wearing my jersey, calling my name. For me, it’s just trying to stay in the moment and just trying to stay grounded. It’s very humbling to find out how many people you impact through this beautiful game,” White said, via CHSN.

“It’s so humbling to know how many people you impact through this beautiful game we play.”

The support Coby White felt upon returning to Chicago tonight pic.twitter.com/WqZPPQyYXi

– Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) 25 February 2026

Coby White joins nascent Hornets core

The Bulls had their work cut out for them, paving the way for White to join the upstart Hornets. Given LaMelo Ball’s injury history, White could play a big role for one of the hottest teams in the league.

White is only 26 years old and could be one of the most explosive scorers in the association. He also studied in Chapel Hill, which means he’s already beloved in Charlotte.