Bennedict Mathurin gives the New Orleans Pelicans something they’ve been circling for a while: another shot-maker who can fit next to a core that suddenly looks far more dangerous.
Mathurin has agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract, with the second season carrying a player option, and New Orleans is banking on that deal paying off around Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray. The Pelicans wanted him before, too. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, William Guillory and Law Murray, the team tried to land Mathurin before last season’s trade deadline.
“According to another league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for their candor, New Orleans has been interested in Mathurin since his time in Indiana and sees him as a potential long-term piece,” Amick, Guillory, and Murray reported. “The source said the Pelicans tried to acquire him before the trade deadline in February, when the Pacers dealt him to the Clippers instead.”
At 24, Mathurin brings a real scoring punch. He averaged 17.6 points and 5.6 rebounds last season split between the Indiana Pacers and the LA Clippers, and he knocked down 37.2% of his 3-point tries in 28 games with Indiana. That kind of perimeter production matters on a team that already has a wing in Trey Murphy III coming off arguably his best season, when he put up 21.5 points per game on 47% shooting, hit 37.9% from deep, and posted career highs with 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 2025-26.
Mathurin’s arrival gives New Orleans another threat defenses have to account for, which is exactly the kind of help Murphy can use as he keeps climbing. It also supports Williamson, who turned in his first relatively healthy season in two years and averaged 21.0 points on 60% shooting, along with 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 2025-26.
Murray is another major piece of the puzzle. He’s heading into what should be his first healthy season with the Pelicans after spending most of last year recovering from a ruptured right Achilles injury. In 14 games last season, he averaged 16.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals, and now New Orleans is hoping he can get back to being the score-first guard who can tilt a game.
The rest of the roster has its own value, too. Saddiq Bey, in his first season with the Pelicans, averaged 17.7 points, while Herbert Jones remains part of the team’s backbone. Add in a young frontcourt that includes Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen and Yves Missi, and the Pelicans have real depth behind the headline names.
Fears was selected seventh overall in the 2025 draft, and New Orleans traded its 2026 first-round pick for the rights to Queen at No. 13 after also moving 2025’s 23rd overall pick. Queen answered with a productive rookie season, averaging 11.7 points on 47.3% shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals. Fears contributed 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals, and both players were named to the 2026 All-Rookie Second Team.
Missi, meanwhile, settled into a secondary role at center and averaged 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. That gives New Orleans a young supporting cast to go with the veteran-heavy top end, and the Pelicans will need that balance if they’re going to make noise in a crowded Western Conference.
There’s also the business side. One report suggested the cleanest path forward would be moving Jordan Hawkins, whose $7.02 million salary could help get the Pelicans under the first tax apron before next season. His expiring deal could also bring back a second-round pick or two.
The coaching change matters, too. New head coach Jamahl Mosley arrives after the Magic let him go in May, and New Orleans is counting on him to sharpen the team’s defensive identity. Mosley guided Orlando to three straight playoff appearances, including last season, though the Magic were knocked out in the first round each time.
New Orleans is still below the top tier in the West, with the defending Western Conference champion Spurs, the 2025 champion Thunder, the Nuggets and the Timberwolves ahead of them. But with Mathurin now in the mix, the Pelicans have a roster built to chase a Play-In run and, maybe, their first playoff appearance in three years.
In Other News...
Bulls Still Have A Chance To Turn These Misses Into A Win
The Bulls have been watching the same free-agent dominoes as everyone else, and two of the bigger names on their radar ended up elsewhere. Bennedict Mathurin is headed to New Orleans on a two-year deal, while Jonathan Kuminga landed with Minnesota, leaving Chicago still sorting through a roster-building plan that seems focused as much on flexibility as on adding talent right now.
For the Pelicans, Mathurins arrival adds another layer to a backcourt mix that already carries long-term implications, including what comes next for Jordan Hawkins. The bigger picture is the familiar one for New Orleans and Minnesota: even when a team misses on a target, the financial and cap math can still be reshaped in ways that matter later, and the Bulls are betting they can eventually turn these misses into a different kind of win. [Read more 🡒]
Yves Missi Just Gave Pelicans Fans A Reason To Feel Better
Yves Missis summer work has given New Orleans something to track well beyond the usual offseason chatter. Playing for Cameroon in 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying, he turned in a strong showing against Nigeria with 24 points, nine rebounds, two steals and four blocks in 26 minutes, a performance that fit with the broader sense that he looks more assured and physically ready than he did in earlier seasons.
For the Pelicans, that matters because they are counting on Missi to anchor the defense and likely open the upcoming NBA season as the starting center. His growth is not just about numbers in a qualifying game, either. It is about whether he can translate that confidence and conditioning into a bigger role in New Orleans, where a steadier Missi could make the front line look a lot more stable. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Backcourt Just Got The Kind Of Respect Fans Notice
The Pelicans backcourt got a quiet but meaningful nod this week when The Athletics Zach Harper placed both Jeremiah Fears and Dejounte Murray among the top 40 NBA guards. Fears checked in at No. 37 after a rookie season that flashed scoring and playmaking ability, while Murray landed at No. 21 on the strength of the efficient two-way impact he showed in his recent games.
For New Orleans, it is the kind of recognition that tends to matter because it reflects more than hype. Fears is heading into his second year with momentum, and Murrays return from limited play gave the Pelicans a better sense of how dangerous their guard rotation can be when both are available. The bigger question is how far that pairing can carry the roster once the season begins to ask for more than just promise. [Read more 🡒]