MARCH 15: The Pelicans have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Drew to a 10-day contract.
MARCH 14: The Pelicans intend to fill the open spot on their 15-man NBA roster by signing Larry Drew II to a 10-day contract, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Drew will replace Walt Lemon Jr., who won’t be re-signed by New Orleans after his 10-day deal expired last night.
This will be Drew’s second 10-day contract of the season, and his first with the Pelicans. The 28-year-old guard inked a 10-day pact with the Sixers back in January, but wasn’t re-signed by the club when that deal expired. Drew played just 15 total minutes in three games during his brief stint in Philadelphia.
For most of the season, Drew has once again played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, marking the fifth straight year that he has spent time with the G League club. In 35 games for the Skyforce this season, Drew has averaged 11.8 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 4.6 RPG. The UCLA alum has never shot below 40% from three-point range in a G League season — he’s at 40.1% in 2017/18, and is making a career-best 2.0 threes per game.
While the move to New Orleans is good news for Drew, Sioux Falls – Miami’s G League affiliate – will be scrambling to fill the hole left in its backcourt. Briante Weber, who had also been playing for the Skyforce, just finalized a 10-day deal of his own with the Grizzlies, so the team has now lost two key guards this week.