Josh Hart‘s new three-year deal with the Pelicans includes some unique terms, according to ESPN’s Will Guillory and Bobby Marks (Twitter links). In an Instagram video, Marks provides a more in-depth breakdown of the agreement.
After earning a guaranteed $12MM salary in year one, Hart will have a $12.96MM non-guaranteed salary in year two, says Guillory. If the Pelicans want to avoid paying Hart that salary, they’ll have to waive him by June 25, meaning he’d get a head-start on finding a new team in free agency.
If Hart plays out the first two years of his deal, his $12.96MM salary for 2023/24 would be non-guaranteed as well, but he also has a player option for that third year. It would essentially be a mutual option for Hart and the Pelicans. He’d have until June 24 to decide whether to exercise or decline his player option, then – if he opts in – New Orleans would have until June 25 to decide whether to guarantee his salary.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- Scouts and executives polled by Tim Bontemps of ESPN were critical of the Pelicans’ offseason, questioning the team’s decision to replace Lonzo Ball with Devonte’ Graham. “They’re a sinking ship and reaching for a life preserver that just isn’t going to help,” one Western Conference executive said. “I don’t understand how (Jonas Valanciunas) is going to fit. I don’t understand how Devonte’ is worth what they paid. It’s just weird.”
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic loved what he saw from the Pelicans and Trey Murphy at Las Vegas Summer League, noting that he talked to two separate scouts who thought Murphy was the best rookie in Vegas. Vecenie referred to New Orleans’ Summer League team as “juggernaut” on the defensive end, singling out Murphy, Naji Marshall, Herb Jones, and Kira Lewis for their performances.
- Murphy was one of seven players named to the All-Summer League First Team, per the NBA, as he joined co-MVPs Davion Mitchell and Cameron Thomas, among others.
I dont question Valanciunas as much as keeping Hernangomez after getting Valanciunas, and they definitely hurt their defense at the guard spot. They added a couple of guys at the backend of their roster/1 of their 2 way guys that can defend, but those guys are pretty undersized, and then they added Graham. Which should help with the floor spacing issue they’ve had, but is another small guard, and also doesnt defend.
They did well with the rest of the stuff they did, but the rotation fits are definitely a big question mark.
…I just remembered they got Satoransky and Temple in the Ball deal…they help the guard defensive issues I was talking about, although the potential rotation questions are still there
A lot of “experts” are roasting the Pelicans offseason but consider this:
The jettison the 2 bad contracts of Bledsoe & Adams 2 bad fits for Zion & Ingram
They didn’t overpay to resign Ball an inconsistant & injury prone player & it is a mystery to me the love he gets from national media
They drafted well in getting Murphy & Jones
Graham is a good guard that can create on his own, shoot over 40% on catch & shoots & is 1 of the best clutch shooter in the game
They traded for a top 7 center in Jonas V
They have a young coach in Green who has a rep with making player give their all & is a defensive minded coach
They have no bad contract & all the flexibility to acquire a star or better player at the TDL.
I see both sides, think you make some solid points about reducing bad deals and creating flexibility. Jonas is definitely not a top 7 centre tho.
The return argument however is your team has 2 all star players and isn’t even in playoff contention. Zion is arguably the best young player in the league and your not building around him, your just wasting his time and he’s going to end up leaving just like AD. It was a case of to little to late for AD and for Zion so far they have gone backwards. Lonzo was one of the only players on the roster that looked as if they were going to build around Zion and now he’s gone.
Like I have said many times, Pelicans just need to bite the bullet and trade Brandon Ingram for a better fit around Zion. My first idea was Zach LaVine for Ingram, plus picks or whatever but Zach and Zion would’ve been a great duo especially if you kept Lonzo aswell. Not that looks to not be an option I think they should be looking at Myles Turner, DeAaron Fox, Christian Wood+KPJ
They never should have hired the vastly overrated David Griffin, listening to him when he was on TV should have told them not to.
Big agree. Griffin is extremely overrated as a GM in my opinion. What has he really done as a GM so far in his career? There’s more misses than hits when it came to his moves as the Cavs GM. He got a good haul for AD but 2/4 main pieces of that trade (Lonzo and the #4 pick which turned into DeAndre Hunter, who was flipped to the Hawks) are not on the roster anymore.
His other moves as Pelicans GM have hardly been inspiring. For the most part, he’s failed to properly surround Zion and Ingram with the proper coach/roster to build a legit playoff contender. Trading Steven Adams a year after trading for, and giving him a big contract, only shows how he dropped the ball on that move. The Pelicans opened up a ton of cap space and missed on all of their targets this offseason.
Too early to say the moves were bad… It’s going to be about finding any synergy. Valens should be a better fit than Adams.