The Pelicans finally made a real move this offseason, and it came in the form of Bennedict Mathurin.
New Orleans signed the former Los Angeles Clippers forward to a two-year, $16 million deal, giving the roster a bench scorer with a career average of 16.2 points per game. It’s the kind of addition that can change how a rotation looks on paper and in practice. It also doesn’t erase the bigger problems that buried the Pelicans last season, when they won just 26 games.
Mathurin’s signing pushes New Orleans to 16 players, so the team still has to make another move to get down to the league’s required 15-man roster before the season begins. Earlier this summer, Jordan Hawkins surfaced in trade chatter, and someone from the current group will have to go. Whoever that ends up being, Mathurin figures to be part of the nightly mix.
What makes him interesting is pretty straightforward: he gets to the line. Since the Indiana Pacers drafted him in the 2022 NBA Draft, Mathurin ranks fifth among guards and wings in free-throw rate.
He also shoots 83% from the stripe, which gives him real value in late-game situations. That fits with a Pelicans team that ranked sixth in the league in free-throw attempts per game last season, even if that edge didn’t carry over when games got tight.
New Orleans was one of the league’s worst clutch teams, finishing 12-30 in those situations.
The closing group already has some clear names in the mix. Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Dejounte Murray are locks to finish games, while Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Jeremiah Fears, and Derrick Queen are also candidates for those minutes. Mathurin’s ability to manufacture foul shots only adds another layer to that decision-making.
If new head coach Jamahl Mosley wants easy points and foul pressure, Mathurin gives him another lever to pull. But there’s a tradeoff. He is not considered a strong shooter or defender, which means his presence can create problems in other lineups.
His downhill game should still help. Mathurin can put pressure on the rim and make life easier for Williamson and Queen, especially when defenses send extra bodies into the paint.
He’s also made some progress as a passer, averaging nearly 2.5 assists per game, though he still isn’t viewed as a great distributor. Playing alongside Williamson and Queen could help keep those numbers moving in the right direction.
The minutes picture is where things get tricky. Mathurin logged nearly 30 minutes per game last season, but that number probably drops in New Orleans. If he played that much again, it would likely squeeze out players such as Micah Peavy and Bryce McGowens, both of whom bring more value on the defensive end.
Mosley’s background suggests he’ll lean toward defense-first combinations, but the roster may not leave him much room to do that consistently.
That’s part of why Jordan Poole stands out as the likely odd man out. He’s coming off a rough season, posted his second-lowest shooting percentage since his rookie year, and carries a contract that makes him a realistic trade candidate before the deadline. He was also a healthy scratch for long stretches last season and is on an expiring deal.
Poole and Mathurin are different players, but Mathurin can absorb some of the shot creation and one-on-one handling that Poole has provided.
For New Orleans, the move came late in the summer, but it was still a meaningful one. Mathurin’s deal includes a player option after next season, so the Pelicans will have plenty of incentive to play him as much as possible this year and see how it fits. Whether that turns into wins is the part that still has to be proven.
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Money may end up being the quietest reason for optimism. With several large contracts set to come off the books over the next two years, the Pelicans could finally have some salary cap breathing room to reshape the roster instead of constantly working around it. For a team that has needed both talent and flexibility, that combination at least gives New Orleans something real to build around. [Read more 🡒]