FRIDAY, 8:03am: The move is official, the team announced.
THURSDAY, 7:10pm: The Pelicans have indeed placed Macklin on waivers, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make an official announcement.
5:01pm: The Pelicans are waiving Vernon Macklin, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Macklin was in training camp on a minimum salary, non-guaranteed deal. This move will leave New Orleans with 18 players on their preseason roster, with 12 players’ contracts being fully guaranteed, and three others possessing partial guarantees.
Macklin faced tough competition trying to secure a regular season roster spot in a crowded Pelicans frontcourt. He was competing for backup minutes with Patric Young, Luke Babbitt, and Darius Miller. Young has a much higher upside than Macklin, and has been showing flashes of talent during training camp, which could have led to the Pelicans deeming Macklin expendable.
The 27-year-old big man out of Florida played in the summer league with the Magic this year, averaging 5.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 15.6 minutes per contest. He saw just 5.9 minutes per game in 30 contests during the 2011/12 season with the Pistons, who selected him 52nd overall in 2011.