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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: New Orleans Pelicans

August 29th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Free agent signings

Javonte Green: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Daniel Theis: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Matt Ryan: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the draft rights to Antonio Reeves (No. 47 pick) from the Magic in exchange for the right to swap second-round picks in 2030 and 2031.
Acquired the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (top-50 protected) from the Wizards in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas (sign-and-trade).
Acquired Dejounte Murray from the Hawks in exchange for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller (sign-and-trade), the Lakers’ 2025 first-round pick, and either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ 2027 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-four protected).

Draft picks

1-21: Yves Missi
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $15,654,827).
2-47: Antonio Reeves
- Signed to three-year, minimum-salary contract ($5,408,801). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed team option.

Two-way signings

Jamal Cain

Departed/unsigned free agents

Naji Marshall (Mavericks)
Dereon Seabron (unsigned)
Cody Zeller (Hawks)

Other moves

Exercised Jeremiah Robinson-Earl‘s 2024/25 team option ($2,196,970).
Exercised Jose Alvarado‘s 2024/25 team option ($1,988,598).
Signed draft-and-stash prospect Karlo Matkovic to a three-year, $5,658,801 contract. First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
Claimed Trey Jemison (two-way) off waivers.

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and below the first tax apron ($178.1MM).
Carrying approximately $172.4MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
Two traded player exceptions available (largest worth $9,900,000).

The offseason so far

The Pelicans entered the summer with three key items on their to-do list — upgrading at point guard, finding a starting center, and resolving the Brandon Ingram situation.

Of those three goals, the Pelicans clearly achieved one of them, striking a deal with the Hawks to acquire Dejounte Murray to fortify their backcourt. The cost – including a rotation big man (Larry Nance Jr.), a former lottery pick with untapped potential (Dyson Daniels), and two future first-round picks – wasn’t cheap, but Murray should bring an intriguing new element to a Pelicans team that has relied on CJ McCollum to run the point in recent years.

While McCollum did OK in that role, Murray is more of a natural play-maker whose presence will allow McCollum to operate more off the ball, or perhaps even to run the second unit. And while Murray’s defensive numbers dropped off in Atlanta, he has an All-Defensive nod on his résumé and has the tools to bounce back on that side of the ball, upgrading the Pelicans’ perimeter defense.

The other two top items on the Pelicans’ offseason checklist remain a work in progress.

New Orleans is unwilling to offer Ingram a long-term, maximum-salary extension as he enters a contract year, and has rising sharpshooter Trey Murphy in the wings waiting to step into Ingram’s starting role. The team also lost its top two centers – Nance and Jonas Valanciunas – this offseason, with Valanciunas leaving for Washington in free agency.

The two-in-one solution to those issues would be to trade Ingram for a starting-caliber center, but New Orleans has explored that path with no success so far, as targets like Jarrett Allen, Nic Claxton, and Wendell Carter remained with their respective teams this summer. As a result, the cap-strapped Pelicans had to turn to free agency for a temporary solution at the five, bringing in veteran big man Daniel Theis on a minimum-salary deal.

Theis is better suited to be a backup, but he’s the best option the Pelicans have at center in the short term, with newly added rookies Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic unlikely to play major roles right away and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl seemingly lacking starter upside. In a perfect world, Missi would enjoy a Dereck Lively-esque debut season and pair with Theis to form a reliable platoon in the middle. But it’s more likely that center will remain an area of need for New Orleans into the season.

As for Ingram, the Pelicans are said to be open to discussing an extension below the maximum, but with Zion Williamson occupying one forward spot and Murphy and Herbert Jones having earned significant roles, investing heavily in Ingram may not be the preferred path for the organization. As talented a scorer as he is, the former No. 2 overall pick isn’t an elite three-point shooter or defender, making him a somewhat awkward fit next to Williamson, who shares those traits.

Of course, those are the same reasons why another team might be reluctant to trade for Ingram and commit to paying his next contract, which hurts the Pelicans’ ability to extract a ton of value for him on the trade market. Ingram’s presence also gives New Orleans some high-level insurance in the event of a Williamson injury, which hasn’t exactly been a rare occurrence in recent years. It’ll be fascinating to see whether a trade or a new contract with New Orleans is the next step for the 2020 All-Star.

Up next

As detailed above, Ingram’s future with the franchise remains up in the air, but it’s possible no resolution comes before opening night. The forward will remain extension-eligible throughout the season, all the way up until June 30, 2025, and the Pelicans could trade him at anytime up until February’s deadline — or even in a sign-and-trade deal next summer. So while it would be nice to have an answer sooner rather than later, the two sides can afford to enter the regular season without an extension or trade.

The Pelicans have two more extension candidates with whom they’ll likely explore new deals before the season begins. Like Ingram, Jose Alvarado will be extension-eligible all year, but the team faces an October 21 deadline in its talks with Murphy. If Murphy hasn’t signed a rookie scale extension by that time, he’ll become a restricted free agent next July.

Murphy, 24, hasn’t made fewer than 38.0% of his three-point attempts in any of his three NBA seasons and has increased his shot volume every year, from 3.0 attempts per game as a rookie to 7.8 last season.

A player who can shoot like that and hold his own on defense is an extremely valuable asset and that will be reflected in his next contract. RJ Barrett, Jordan Poole, Tyler Herro, Jaden McDaniels, and Devin Vassell all received four- or five-year rookie scale extensions ranging from $107-135MM during the 2022 and 2023 offseasons. I expect Murphy to seek a deal at least in that neighborhood.

The cost for Alvarado shouldn’t be as high, but he’ll certainly be due a raise on his current minimum-salary contract after having established himself as a reliable rotation player for the Pelicans. The 26-year-old would be an unrestricted free agent next summer, so I expect New Orleans will make an effort to stop him from reaching the open market, but it remains to be seen how high the front office will be comfortable going for a reserve like Alvarado.

The Pelicans are currently carrying 15 players on standard contracts on three on two-way deals, so barring a preseason trade involving Ingram and/or a center, the roster looks pretty close to being set for the regular season.

We’ll see whether 15th man Matt Ryan opens the season on the roster or is waived for financial reasons. It’s also possible New Orleans will make a change or two to its two-way players — Malcolm Hill, whose two-way deal carried over from 2023/24, didn’t appear in a single game for the Pelicans last season, so it’s unclear whether he’s in their plans going forward. For what it’s worth, he had a strong year in the G League.

Matt Ryan Re-Signs With Pelicans On Camp Deal

August 27th, 2024 at 4:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 27: Ryan’s new deal with the Pelicans is now official, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Ryan’s non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract includes Exhibit 9 language (protecting the team in the event of a preseason injury), but not Exhibit 10 language, Hoops Rumors has learned.

That means it can’t be converted into a two-way deal and won’t award Ryan a bonus if he’s waived and then spends time with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League team.

AUGUST 26: The Pelicans are re-signing Matt Ryan on a reworked one-year contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Ryan was waived on Friday.

Ryan, 27, appeared in 28 games for New Orleans in 2023/24, averaging 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45.1% from three-point range in 13.9 minutes per contest. He missed several weeks of action last season due to a right calf strain and a right elbow injury, which required surgery in December.

New Orleans claimed Ryan off waivers last October, inheriting the two-way contract he signed with Minnesota shortly before the start of training camp. He also had brief stints with the Celtics and Lakers earlier in his career.

The Pelicans converted Ryan to a standard contract at the very end of last season, making him playoff-eligible. However, his three-year deal — which featured a significant end-of-season payday in ’23/24 — was non-guaranteed for the ’24/25 and ’25/26 seasons.

Ryan’s salary for ’24/25 would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through the start of the regular season. While we don’t know the details of the new contract yet, it’s likely another minimum-salary deal that won’t become guaranteed until the league-wide date of January 10. It should also have a cap hit of $2,087,519 instead of $2,196,970.

The Pelicans now have 15 players on standard contracts, with 13 players on guaranteed salaries.

Pelicans Waive Matt Ryan

August 23rd, 2024 at 9:03pm CST by Rory Maher

9:03pm: The Pelicans officially waived Ryan on Friday, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

1:19pm: The Pelicans plan to waive sharpshooter Matt Ryan, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Ryan, 27, appeared in 28 games for New Orleans in 2023/24, averaging 5.4 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45.1% from three-point range in 13.9 minutes per contest. He missed several weeks of action last season due to a right calf strain and a right elbow injury, which required surgery in December.

New Orleans claimed Ryan off waivers last October, inheriting the two-way contract he signed with Minnesota shortly before the start of training camp. He also had brief stints with the Celtics and Lakers earlier in his career.

The Pelicans converted Ryan to a standard contract at the very end of last season, making him playoff-eligible. However, his three-year deal — which featured a significant end-of-season payday in ’23/24 — was non-guaranteed for the ’24/25 and ’25/26 seasons. That means the Pels won’t carry a dead-money cap hit by cutting Ryan loose.

Ryan’s salary for ’24/25 would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through the start of the regular season.

After officially signing Javonte Green, the Pelicans had 15 players on standard contracts, with 13 players on guaranteed salaries. They’re back down to 14 players now, with Jose Alvarado holding the lone non-guaranteed deal.

The Pelicans are still about $1.6MM over the luxury tax line after releasing Ryan, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks, with a tax distribution to non-taxpaying teams projected to be a record high of $18.2MM. 13 teams are presently over the tax threshold, Marks adds.

If Ryan clears waivers in a couple days, he will become an unrestricted free agent. As a three-year veteran, he remains eligible for a two-way contract covering one season.

And-Ones: Diamond RSNs, Dragic, Nowtizki, Oppenheimer

August 23rd, 2024 at 8:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Diamond Sports Group – the parent company of the Bally Sports regional networks – announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement with the NBA to continue local broadcasts for 13 teams for the 2024/25 season, according to Evan Drellich and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

Diamond’s agreements, including a deal with the NHL to continue broadcasting nine teams’ games, will need to be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge. That hearing is scheduled for September 3, per Drellich and Vorkunov. While the new deals will only cover the 2024/25 season for now, they could extend beyond that if Diamond gets out of bankruptcy.

Diamond won’t be moving forward on deals with the Pelicans or the Mavericks, according to Friday’s announcement. The Pelicans news was reported earlier this month, with the team making plans to broadcasting its games for free over the air through Gray TV.

The Mavericks’ broadcast plans for the coming season remain unclear. However, The Athletic characterized the split with Dallas as mutual, and an NBA spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News that the Mavs “declined to continue distributing their games” through Diamond/Bally Sports, so it sounds like the club has a new plan in the works.

The 13 teams whose games will continue to air on Diamond’s regional sports networks in 2024/25 are the Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic, and Spurs.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Saturday’s farewell game in honor of Goran Dragic‘s retirement – dubbed “The Night of the Dragon,” will stream on the NBA App at 2:00 pm Eastern time, the league announced today (Twitter link). Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic will team up as part of “Team Luka,” while Dragic’s roster features former MVP Steve Nash. Eurohoops published the full rosters on Twitter.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Dragic’s farewell game, Dirk Nowitzki suggested that he would like to continue working in basketball in some capacity, but he doesn’t plan on becoming a full-time coach for any team. “I don’t think I see coaching in my future,” Nowitzki said, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “Things could change very quickly, but I don’t see myself as a team coach. I see more myself as an individual coach.”
Former Bucks assistant Josh Oppenheimer has accepted a job on Porter Moser‘s coaching staff at Oklahoma, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Milwaukee parted ways with Oppenheimer – who had a “close working relationship” with Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Wojnarowski – back in May as Doc Rivers made changes to his staff ahead of his first full season with the Bucks.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Theis, Marshall, Mavericks

August 22nd, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans are set to hold a voluntary mini-camp ahead of the official start of their team training camp, reports Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). New Orleans is expected to have all but one member of its roster present at the mini-camp, which will take place next week in California.

The club is looking to build on its postseason success last year. New Orleans finished with a 49-33 record, its best finish since 2008/09. The team fell in its first play-in tournament game to the Lakers, but managed to survive the Kings and secure the West’s No. 8 seed. The Pelicans were quickly swept out of the playoffs by the No. 1-seeded Thunder.

Team president David Griffin wasn’t going to take the defeat lying down. He traded to acquire former All-Star combo guard Dejounte Murray from the Hawks, and is hoping New Orleans can bolster its backcourt defense. The Pelicans lost starting center Jonas Valanciunas to free agency, and questions remain about the fate of star forward Brandon Ingram. Ingram’s fit alongside All-Star forward Zion Williamson has long been in question. Ingram has yet to work out a contract extension with New Orleans this summer.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Newly-signed Pelicans center Daniel Theis isn’t expected to join his teammates in California for the team’s voluntary mini-camp, tweets Guillory. The 6’8″ big man inked a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal to join New Orleans this summer. Across 60 games for the Pacers and Clippers in 2023/24, Theis posted averages of 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 blocks per night, with a shooting line of .532/.366/.760.
In a mailbag, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reflected on how new addition Naji Marshall may be able to offset the free agency departure of starting swingman Derrick Jones Jr., noting that Marshall is a stronger long-range shooter and a solid passer, but not quite as good a defender or lob target.
Elsewhere in the mailbag, Curtis says he sees the Mavericks’ three major roster acquisitions as overall improvements over role players Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Green. Beyond Marshall, Dallas added former Warriors All-Star wing Klay Thompson via sign-and-trade and obtained guard Quentin Grimes.

Javonte Green Signs With Pelicans

August 22nd, 2024 at 5:35pm CST by Tristan Tucker

AUGUST 22: Green’s addition is now official, the Pelicans have announced (Twitter link).

AUGUST 20: The Pelicans are signing free agent Javonte Green, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 6’4″ wing with power forward versatility closed last season with the Bulls.

According to Charania, the deal is for one year. William Guillory of The Athletic adds that it will be a guaranteed minimum-salary contract (Twitter link). Since Green has five years of NBA service, his deal will pay him $2,425,403 while counting for $2,087,519 against the cap.

Green went undrafted in 2015 but caught on with the Celtics ahead of the 2019/20 season. He spent one-and-a-half years with Boston before being traded to the Bulls.

The Radford product was a key part of the 2021/22 Bulls, averaging 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 65 games (45 starts). He wasn’t re-signed by the team after his contract expired in 2023 but he eventually caught back on with the organization last season when he signed a pair of deals with the Bulls to close out the year.

In his nine games last season, Green averaged a career-high 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. In 195 career games, he holds averages of 5.4 points and 3.1 boards while shooting a .541/.345/.754 line.

Once Green’s deal is official, the Pelicans will have a full 15-man roster of standard contract players, with 13 guaranteed salaries. All three of their two-way spots are also occupied.

With Jonas Valanciunas out of the fold, New Orleans added several bigs to their bench in Yves Missi, Karlo Matkovic and Daniel Theis. While Green doesn’t have the same size as those players, he provides another strong rebounding presence (6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes).

Southwest Notes: Ingram, Spurs, Mavericks

August 22nd, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Brandon Ingram situation will be a fascinating one to watch this season if he and the Pelicans don’t work out an extension before the regular season begins, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

Clark believes New Orleans would have liked to move Ingram in a trade for a starting center this offseason, but couldn’t find a deal that made sense, with targets like Jarrett Allen and Nic Claxton signing long-term deals with their respective teams and Orlando deciding to hang onto Wendell Carter.

While Ingram is a virtual lock to start for the Pelicans as long as he’s on the roster, there will be several starting-caliber players vying for minutes in late-game situations, Clark notes. Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy will all be in that mix, and if New Orleans wants to use a traditional center in certain matchups, Daniel Theis figures to join them.

As Clark points out, Ingram was frustrated when he was benched during the fourth quarter this past spring in the Pelicans’ play-in loss to the Lakers, so it could be awkward if that situation repeats itself in the coming season, with the team asking the former All-Star to sacrifice while he’s playing for his next contract. Ingram could become a more indispensable part of the team’s closing lineups if he’s willing to be a floor spacer and shoot more three-pointers, Clark adds.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Given the strength of the Western Conference and the fact that they only won 22 games last season, the Spurs may not be quite ready to enter the play-in mix in 2024/25, opines Kelly Iko of The Athletic. While Victor Wembanyama figures to take another step forward and the veteran additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes will help, Iko stresses that San Antonio is committed to a patient roster-building approach and could still be the worst team in a strong Southwest Division next season.
Iko ranks the Pelicans ahead of the Mavericks in his early projection of the division’s standings, but he believes Dallas had the slightly better offseason overall and lauds the team for improving its outside shooting by adding Klay Thompson and Quentin Grimes, among others. Iko’s mailbag also explores the Rockets‘ projected win total, Zach Edey‘s potential impact on the Grizzlies, and a few more topics from around the Southwest.
Grant Afseth of NBAAnalysis.net takes an in-depth look at the Mavericks‘ offseason moves, exploring how Thompson will be deployed, who will replace Derrick Jones as the team’s go-to on-ball defender, and whether Spencer Dinwiddie is in position to replicate his past success in Dallas. Afseth also discusses the ongoing evolution of the Kyrie Irving/Luka Doncic backcourt duo and Dereck Lively‘s continued development.

Zion Looks Fit At Summer Camp

August 18th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zion Williamson is apparently keeping his weight down this offseason, a good sign for the Pelicans, Darryn Albert of LarryBrownSports.com relays.

Photos that surfaced online over the weekend show Williamson looking fit and trim at his basketball camp in Spartanburg, S.C. The Pelicans star appeared in a career-high 70 regular-season game last season, averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists. However, a left hamstring strain kept him out of the first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City, which the Thunder swept.

Pelicans Notes: Ingram, Roster, Jazz, TV Deal, Training Camp

August 9th, 2024 at 2:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The trade market for Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram remains “limited” due to his contract situation, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link).

“Right now, from what I’m told, Brandon Ingram’s trade market is limited,” Charania said. “I think the sense around New Orleans is he’s going to be there. They are fully expecting Brandon Ingram to be a part of the team going into next season.”

According to Charania, Ingram is seeking $45-50MM annually in a possible extension. There have been multiple reports indicating the Pelicans aren’t comfortable going that high. The former All-Star and Most Improved Player winner will earn $36MM in 2024/25, which is the final season of his current contract.

Charania hears the Pelicans are leery of adding a fourth major long-term contract to their books without first seeing how they perform after trading for Dejounte Murray this summer. CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson are the other Pels on lucrative long-term deals, Charania notes.

Here are a few more notes from New Orleans:

While the trade for Murray indicated the Pelicans are willing to be aggressive, they’ve had a pretty quiet offseason otherwise. Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune (subscription required) says people around the league expect the Pelicans to look for a center upgrade, with the Jazz considered a potential match for Ingram. As Clark writes, Utah has a couple of big men (Walker Kessler and John Collins) who have been in trade rumors, though Collins is more of a power forward than a center.
The Pelicans have reached a multiyear agreement with Gray TV to broadcast the grand majority of their regular games for free over the air in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Clark reports for The Times-Picayune (subscriber link). Local Pelicans games were previously broadcast on Diamond-owned Bally Sports. According to Clark, Diamond told the Pelicans last month they planned to drop their coverage as part of bankruptcy proceedings, freeing the team to explore other options. Sources tell Clark Diamond Sports reengaged with the Pelicans last week and presented a more lucrative offer than the deal with Gray, but the Pels wanted to broaden their fan base and have a long history with Gray.
In a press release, the Pelicans announced that they will hold their training camp this fall at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., from Oct. 1-6. The Pelicans’ training facility, the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, is in the final stages of being renovated. Media Day will be held on Sept. 30 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, per the team.

Warriors Showing No Interest In Brandon Ingram, Zach LaVine

August 6th, 2024 at 10:43pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After not acquiring Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz, the Warriors are reportedly not currently showing interest in vying for the services of either Brandon Ingram of the Pelicans or Zach LaVine of the Bulls, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Tony Jones and Anthony Slater.

Even though the Warriors didn’t land either of their high-profile targets of the offseason after also striking out on Paul George, they aren’t panicking. They’re reportedly comfortable entering the season with their current 14-man group.

Both Ingram and LaVine have experienced limited trad markets this offseason, primarily due to their contract situations. LaVine has three years and approximately $138MM left on his deal, while Ingram – who is on an expiring $36MM contract – appears to be seeking a lucrative long-term extension.

The Warriors lost Klay Thompson this offseason but added De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters. They also held firm on their refusal to include Brandin Podziemski in any potential trade for Markkanen, so they’ll be counting on him and fellow young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis to continue to develop.

Golden State viewed Markkanen as a terrific fit due to his age and contract situation, but now that he’s on track to renegotiate and extend his contract with Utah, they know he’ll be unavailable until at least the 2025 offseason and will continue to evaluate their roster, per The Athletic.

Owning all but one of their future first-rounders (with the exception of a heavily protected 2030 pick) alongside their young players makes the Warriors a threat to pull off a blockbuster at any point of the season, and they’ll look to be buyers up to the February trade deadline.

Until then, the Warriors may seek smaller-scale trades through August and September more actively than what is typical from NBA teams, according to The Athletic’s report.