Pelicans Rumors

Pelicans’ Boston Diagnosed With Left Ankle Stress Reaction

After undergoing additional imaging on his troublesome left ankle, Pelicans wing Brandon Boston Jr. has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in that ankle and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team announced in a press release.

Boston has already missed New Orleans’ past 11 games, having been listed as out due to a left ankle sprain since February 10. It sounds like today’s announcement represents an update on his diagnosis rather than a new injury.

Boston, who was in camp with San Antonio last fall, was waived by the Spurs at the end of the preseason and claimed off waivers by the Pelicans, who converted him to a two-way contract the day before the regular season tipped off.

The 23-year-old played well on that two-way contract, appearing in 42 games (10 starts) for a banged-up New Orleans squad and averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in 23.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .436/.350/.788.

Boston’s strong play on his two-way deal earned him a promotion to the Pelicans’ standard roster last week. He signed a two-year contract that includes a minimum-salary team option for 2025/26 and will pay him $596,581 across the final six-and-a-half weeks of this season.

It’s unclear how many – if any – games Boston will actually get to play on that new contract in ’24/25. While the club set a reevaluation date of March 21, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be cleared to return at that time. If he’s able to make it back before the end of the season, the 6’6″ swingman will look to make his case for a spot on next season’s roster.

Contract Details: Two-Ways, Springer, Champagnie, Miller, Spencer, More

A flurry of two-way signings occurred prior to Tuesday’s deadline and many of those players who received two-way contracts in the week leading up to March 4 agreed to two-year deals.

Hoops Rumors has confirmed that Patrick Baldwin and Seth Lundy of the Clippers, Pete Nance and Jamaree Bouyea of the Bucks, Lester Quinones of the Pelicans, David Roddy of the Rockets, Miles Norris of the Celtics, and Jared Rhoden of the Raptors all signed two-year, two-way contracts.

As our tracker shows, that means that 25 of the 90 players signed to two-way contracts have deals that will carry over to the 2025/26 league year. It’s common for many of the players on two-year, two-way pacts to be waived during the offseason if teams decide there’s an undrafted rookie or Summer League standout they’d rather add, but those two-year terms give clubs the option of retaining their two-way players for another year.

Here are a few more details on recently signed contracts around the league:

  • The Jazz used $634,437 of their room exception to sign guard Jaden Springer, who got a three-year contract that includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2025/26 and a team option for ’26/27. Springer will receive a $400K partial guarantee on next season’s salary if he remains under contract through July 25. That partial guarantee will increase to $600K if he makes the opening night roster in the fall.
  • Teams that used a portion of their mid-level exceptions to promote two-way players to multiyear standard deals include the Wizards with Justin Champagnie ($1,800,000), the Clippers with Jordan Miller ($1,005,000), and the Rockets with Jeenathan Williams ($515,881). All three players got four-year contracts that don’t include guaranteed money beyond this season, though Miller’s deal includes some trigger dates — he’ll get a partial guarantee of $350K for 2025/26 if he’s still under contract beyond July 15 and half of his $2,191,897 salary will become guaranteed if he isn’t waived before the start of the ’25/26 regular season.
  • Pat Spencer of the Warriors, Orlando Robinson of the Raptors, and Ryan Rollins of the Bucks all received straight conversions of their two-way contracts to standard deals, so they’ll each still be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
  • Dominick Barlow‘s new two-year contract with the Hawks is a minimum-salary deal that includes a team option for 2025/26.

Pelicans’ Trey Murphy Discusses Breakout Season, Zion, More

It has largely been a season to forget for the Pelicans, who hold the fourth-worst record in the NBA in part due to a crushing — and seemingly never-ending — wave of injuries. However, one silver lining has been the standout play of Trey Murphy.

The 24-year-old is posting career highs in virtually every major statistic in 2024/25, including points (21.7), rebounds (5.2), assists (3.8), steals (1.2), blocks (0.7), and minutes (35.6) per game through 46 appearances.

Murphy, who signed a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension in October (it begins in ’25/26), recently discussed a number of topics in an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. Here are a few highlights.

On his breakout season:

“I’m just trying to get better. I’m understanding that I’m still young and have a long career ahead of me. I just want to build good habits and develop my game. That’s been the biggest thing this season, especially with all the injuries and stuff like that. Those are things we can’t control. The biggest things we can control now is just developing my game and finding ways to get better. … When guys go down, people feel like they have to elevate their roles. So they have to shoot more. I feel like, especially the last three weeks, that my assist numbers have been going up. We’re seeing different coverages. My threat to score has been the biggest thing for me.”

On his nine-figure contract extension:

“It means a lot. Being able to secure generational wealth is great as well as being able to take care of my family. It shows that they believe in me. It means a lot. So it makes me want to continue to work hard and prove them right on their investment.”

On being encouraged by how Zion Williamson responded following a one-game suspension for reportedly missing a team flight and being late for multiple practices:

“He’s been really good. He’s been really good. I’ve seen a big step from him, maturity-wise. It’s been great to see. … Overall, the biggest thing is that he’s been leading by example. He’s been stepping up defensively and talking. He’s sharing the ball offensively. He’s been a complete player.”

On learning from CJ McCollum:

“CJ is probably the person that I look up to the most when it comes to basketball-related things. When I’m his age, I want to be in the position that he’s in with still being super-efficient and still a pro’s pro and is about his business. He has really shown me a lot about the business on and off the court. I’m very appreciative of him. … With how he carries himself, he’s very about taking care of business and making sure to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Murphy’s interview with Medina also touches on how he and the team have dealt with injuries, his close relationship with Brandon Ingram, and how he’s developing into a vocal leader, among other topics. It’s worth reading in full if you’re a fan of the Pelicans and/or Murphy.

Western Notes: Harden, Kuminga, Hawkins, Nuggets

The Clippers had lost six of their last seven games and had fallen to ninth in the Western Conference standings entering Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit. They were also missing top scorer Norman Powell. So James Harden‘s 50-point outburst, which helped the team snap a three-game losing streak, was a welcome sight.

As Law Murray of The Athletic writes, it was Harden’s first 50-point game since December 2019 and the first time a Clipper had achieved the feat since Lou Williams in January 2018.

“To see him come out and score 50 on (the second night of) a back-to-back at the age of 35 just says a lot about him and competing every night,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said after the victory. “Playing 38 minutes again on a back-to-back, but we needed every bit of it.”

It was a vintage performance for Harden, who set new personal season highs by making 14 field goals and getting to the free throw line 20 times. After leading the NBA in points per game for three straight years during his time in Houston, Harden has become more of a facilitator and a secondary scoring option in his mid-30s, but he made it clear on Wednesday he’s still capable of big scoring nights.

“I can do it, you know,” Harden said. “It’s not my first time. So somebody who has done it for the first time, it probably takes a lot of energy. For me, it’s just understanding the game. That’s the game within the game.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga won’t return on the team’s current road trip after all, having been ruled out for Thursday’s game in Brooklyn, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Kuminga, who has been out since January 4 due to a right ankle sprain, has been scrimmaging and there was a sense he might return at some point during Golden State’s five-game trip. But with the team on a tear, having won of seven of eight games, there’s certainly no need to rush him back.
  • Pelicans second-year guard Jordan Hawkins is still bothered by the back pain that sidelined him earlier this season, but he has adjusted to playing through it and has been more effective as of late, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. Hawkins put up 14.8 points per game on 47.9% shooting (36.7% on three-pointers) during the team’s recent four-game road trip, well above his season-long averages. “He’s playing more consistent where he has more consistent minutes,” head coach Willie Green said. “He understands what his role is when he steps on the floor. This is a part of his growth.”
  • One month removed from the February 6 trade deadline, a panel of writers for The Athletic – Jovan Buha, Sam Amick, Christian Clark, and Anthony Slater – check in on where things stand in the Western Conference. The group largely agrees that the Warriors have improved most in the short term and the Lakers have improved most in the long term as a result of their deadline moves. However, three of the four panelists still view the Nuggets as the best bet to knock off the Thunder for a spot in the NBA Finals this spring.

Southwest Notes: Williams, Olynyk, Williams Jr., Mavs Ticket Prices

The four-year, $8.2MM contract that Jeenathan Williams signed on Sunday after getting promoted by the Rockets from his two-way deal is only guaranteed for the remainder of this season, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Williams’ teammates were well aware of his addition to the 15-man roster.

“As soon as I walked in the gym, they, like, they stampeded me and all gave me hugs and like, saying congrats. So it was a dope moment,” he told Lerner (Twitter link).

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Veteran big man Kelly Olynyk, acquired from Toronto in the Brandon Ingram trade, continues to shine for the Pelicans. He scored a season-high 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting in a win over the Jazz on Sunday night. “It’s rare,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said about Olynyk’s skill set, per John Coon of The Associated Press. “He’s seven feet. Can shoot the ball. Put it on the floor. Can post. Can rebound. Can pass. He’s smart defensively. He knows when to switch. He’s good with angles. He’s a great addition to our group.” Olynyk will have one year and $13.4MM remaining on his contract after this season. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in five games with the Pelicans.
  • Grizzlies guard Vince Williams Jr. says he’s not quite fully recovered from the Grade 3 ankle sprain he suffered in November, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Williams says he’s at “about 80 percent,” but feels good and is hoping to hit his stride when other guys around the league may be wearing down. Williams has appeared in seven games since the injury but has been limited to 20 minutes per game.
  • Mavericks fans were infuriated by the Luka Doncic trade. Now, they have an additional reason to be upset. They’ll have to pay more money to watch the team next season, as the franchise is raising season-ticket prices. The team said season tickets will go up by an average of 8.61% next season and the increase is due to “ongoing investments in the team and fan engagement,” according to ESPN News Services.

Scotto: Trae Young, LaMelo Ball Among Players To Monitor In Offseason

Hawks guard Trae Young has just one guaranteed year left on his contract after this season, with a player option for 2026/27. As he nears potential free agency, executives around the NBA are wondering whether Atlanta will be looking to extend Young this offseason or whether he might emerge as a trade candidate, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

As Scotto notes, Young has spoken about wanting to win a championship in Atlanta with head coach Quin Snyder, and the Hawks have an intriguing collection of young talent around him, including forward Jalen Johnson, defensive ace Dyson Daniels, and 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

However, the Hawks have been a middle-of-the-pack team since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, compiling between 36 and 43 wins and failing to get out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the three years since then — this season, they’re on pace for 37 wins and another play-in spot. They also don’t control their own first-round picks in any of the next three drafts.

Additionally, Scotto writes, Hawks ownership will be looking to avoid surpassing the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26, which could affect their ability to re-sign free agents such as Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, and/or Larry Nance Jr. — or to bring in additional talent.

Atlanta did have talks with the Pelicans prior to this year’s trade deadline about forward Brandon Ingram, with Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic among the names that came up in those multi-team discussions, Scotto reports. Ingram was ultimately sent to Toronto, with the Hawks sending Hunter to Cleveland and Bogdanovic to the Clippers.

Shortly after the trade deadline passed last month, NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) referred to Young’s future in Atlanta as “murky,” while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) wondered if the 26-year-old might request a trade this summer. Scotto doesn’t quite go that far, but says Young’s situation in Atlanta is one that executives around the league will be monitoring in the coming months.

Here’s more from Scotto on players to watch entering the 2025 offseason:

  • Rival executives are curious about whether point guard LaMelo Ball is still at the forefront of the Hornets‘ long-term plans and will be keeping an eye on him this offseason, Scotto reports. Veteran forward Miles Bridges is another name to watch in Charlotte, since his contract has a declining salary structure that was meant to make it more trade-friendly, Scotto adds. It also remains to be seen whether the Hornets will put center Mark Williams back on the trade block after a deadline deal with the Lakers fell through due to medical concerns.
  • RJ Barrett‘s name came up in the Ingram trade talks between the Raptors and Pelicans, but New Orleans didn’t view the forward as an ideal fit on their roster, according to Scotto, who suggests that Barrett could emerge as a trade candidate this summer with Toronto prioritizing Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Gradey Dick. The former No. 3 overall pick is under contract for $57MM+ across two more years after this season.
  • NBA executives widely expect Wizards forward Khris Middleton to pick up his $33.35MM player option for 2025/26, Scotto reports. If he does, he and guard Marcus Smart – who will have an expiring $21.59MM deal, will be trade candidates to monitor in Washington. The same goes for Richaun Holmes, though his expiring $13.28MM contract only features a small partial guarantee ($250K), so he’s probably more likely to be waived than traded.

Lester Quinones Signs Two-Way Deal With Pelicans

8:42pm: The signing is official, according to the NBA transactions log.


8:39am: The Pelicans will sign Lester Quinones to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of ESPN. The deal was confirmed by Quinones’ agent, Scott Nichols of Rize Management.

The 24-year-old shooting guard began the season with Philadelphia on a two-way contract that he signed in September. He appeared in just four games, averaging 2.3 points in 4.3 minutes per night, before being waived on December 3.

Since then, Quinones has been playing for New Orleans’ G League affiliate in Birmingham, where he has posted 22.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 22 regular season games. He was selected to participate in the G League’s Up Next event at All-Star Weekend.

Quinones began his NBA career with the Warriors in 2023 after going undrafted following three collegiate seasons at Memphis. He had his two-way contract with Golden State converted to a standard deal last February.

The Pelicans opened up a two-way slot by waiving guard Jalen Crutcher on Saturday. Jamal Cain and Keion Brooks are the team’s other two-way players.

Pelicans Waive Jalen Crutcher

The Pelicans have opened up a two-way roster spot by waiving Jalen Crutcher, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) first reported the news.

The 25-year-old point guard was promoted from the G League on Wednesday when New Orleans converted Brandon Boston Jr.‘s two-way deal into a two-year standard contract. The Pelicans have played twice since then, but Crutcher didn’t get into either game.

Crutcher was in training camp with New Orleans on an Exhibit 10 contract, but he was waived before the season began. He had been playing for the team’s G League affiliate in Birmingham, averaging 17.9 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Crutcher has been a fixture in the G League since he signed with Charlotte in 2021 after going undrafted out of Dayton. He has appeared in just one NBA game, seeing three minutes of action while on a 10-day contract with the Pelicans last season.

New Orleans will have three days to fill the newly created opening before the March 4 deadline to sign two-way players. Jamal Cain and Keion Brooks hold the team’s other two-way contracts.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Mavericks, Popovich, Spurs

With Brandon Ingram no longer on the roster and Dejounte Murray out with a long-term injury, Zion Williamson will have to shoulder more leadership responsibilities for the Pelicans both on and off the court, says William Guillory of The Athletic. While there have been questions in the past about Williamson’s conditioning habits and the way he has communicated with the organization, he has earned rave reviews for the work he has put in behind the scenes this season, according to Guillory.

“I feel like he’s been a lot more locked in. He’s been taking it really seriously. You see a different look in his eye,” teammate Trey Murphy said. “He’s just ready to build and keep building chemistry and figure out what we’re doing.”

The former No. 1 overall pick led New Orleans to its third straight win on Thursday by recording the first triple-double of his career, with 27 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, as David Brandt of The Associated Press details. New Orleans outscored Phoenix by 17 points during Williamson’s 31 minutes on the court.

“It’s a reminder to the NBA, to the fans, to everybody,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said after the victory. “This is who he can be, night in and night out. That’s what we’re all striving to accomplish as a group. We’re striving to get our best player on the floor.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has his work cut out for him with his top three big men injured, Moses Brown‘s 10-day contract close to expiring, Dwight Powell on a restriction of 10-12 minutes per game, and Kessler Edwards just 10 appearances away from his limit of 50 active games, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Brown – who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s win over Chicago – can’t be re-signed until April 10 once his 10-day deal expires due to Dallas’ hard cap situation, which will also prevent the team from promoting Edwards to the 15-man roster until the final week of the season.
  • The Dallas Morning News staff takes a closer look at what we know so far about the possibility of a new arena for the Mavericks, including the city of Irving’s efforts to lure the Mavs out of Dallas.
  • Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today on Thursday (YouTube link), Shams Charania of ESPN provided a few more details on the first in-person meeting between Gregg Popovich and his players since the Spurs head coach suffered a stroke in the fall. Charania says that “tears were shed” during the meeting and notes that Popovich hasn’t given up hope of resuming his coaching career, even though he won’t be back this season.

Southwest Notes: Thompson, Whitmore, Pelicans Lineup, Brown

With Fred VanVleet out for the past 11 games, Amen Thompson‘s ball-handling role has been amplified, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle observes.

For sure, I feel like my play-making’s taken a step up, and they’ve put me in positions where they trust me to do that,” Thompson said. “I feel like it’s just more experience being at the one and knowing where my guys are gonna make their shots most of the time.

While his play-making has been impressive (6.3 assists per game in his last 11 compared to 2.9 APG before that), it raises the question of exactly what Thompson’s offensive role will be when VanVleet returns. The Rockets will be fully healthy for the first time since December when VanVleet returns, but coach Ime Udoka hasn’t yet decided on a starting lineup.

Thompson has more than earned a continued stay in the starting lineup and he did start next to VanVleet earlier this year. However, the Rockets are just 5-6 in their last 11 games without their veteran point guard and will receive a boost when he returns.

I think when we signed Fred, the beauty of him was that he could play on and off ball,” Udoka said. “He had been with [Pascal] Siakam and Kawhi Leonard, those guys, and always been a handler but another recipient because of the shooting. Obviously, that stands out. So [it’s] something he does pretty naturally, something I’m sure he’ll welcome. You know, get some easier shots [rather] than having to create and be on the ball all the time.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • In the Rockets‘ past five games, swingman Cam Whitmore has only played 25 total minutes, with a pair of DNP-CDs. According to Udoka (Twitter link via Lerner), Whitmore’s drop in minutes is directly linked to Jabari Smith Jr.‘s return to the lineup. “There’s not a ton of minutes, just like at the start of the season, for all the wings,” Udoka said. “Like I said, depth is a really good problem but people are gonna get squeezed out for sure.” Whitmore is averaging 9.1 points per game in 38 appearances this season.
  • Pelicans center Kelly Olynyk is playing alongside rookie big man Yves Missi since coming from Toronto at the trade deadline. As Rod Walker of NOLA.com observes, New Orleans is finding some success with two-big lineups featuring the duo. The Pelicans have out-rebounded opposing teams in the three games with Olynyk and Missi playing next to each other. “We like the big lineups so far,” said coach Willie Green. “After many games of not being able to win the rebounding margin, we’re winning that and that’s giving us extra possessions. It’s allowing us to get out and play in transition.
  • After averaging 10.5 minutes per game in his first two outings with the Mavericks, Moses Brown drew a start on Thursday, as noted by Dallas Hoops Journal’s Grant Afseth (Twitter link). Brown has tonight and Saturday’s game against the Bucks before his current 10-day deal expires. Due to Dallas’ restrictive hard-cap situation, the team won’t be able to re-sign him at that time.