Pelicans’ Jones, Murphy Expected To Be Ready For Season Opener
Pelicans forwards Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III have been back on the court at full strength and full speed in recent weeks and are on track to be available when the team’s regular season tips off next month, executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars told reporters on Monday (Twitter link via sideline reporter Erin Summers).
Jones and Murphy both had their 2024/25 campaigns cut short due to shoulder injuries. Jones underwent surgery in February to repair a torn right rotator cuff, while Murphy suffered a torn labrum and partial rotator cuff in March that also required surgery.
The Pelicans didn’t provide a specific return timeline for either player last winter, so it was unclear whether their recoveries might extend into the fall and cost them the start of the 2025/26 season. Based on Dumars’ comments today, it doesn’t sound like that’s a concern, which is good news for a team coming off a season that was derailed by injuries.
Jones, who made the NBA’s All-Defensive first team in 2024, was limited to just 20 games in 2024/25. He averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 steals in a career-high 32.4 minutes per night, but didn’t play after January 8. The Pelicans still consider him an important part of their future, however, and signed him to a three-year, $68MM extension in July.
Prior to his season-ending injury, Murphy was on track for a career year after signing a four-year, $112MM rookie scale extension last fall. His 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in 53 outings (51 starts) all represented career highs, and he posted a solid shooting line of .454/.361/.887 while increasing his volume.
Although Jones and Murphy are expected to be ready for the start of the season, that doesn’t necessarily mean New Orleans will be at full strength this fall. It doesn’t sound as if guard Dejounte Murray (Achilles tear) and rookie forward Derik Queen (wrist surgery) are as far along in their respective recovery processes. Dumars said today that their rehabs are going well but that there’s no update at this time on when they’ll be available (Twitter link via Summers).
Pelicans Sign Christian Shumate
The Pelicans have signed Christian Shumate, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.
A 6’6″ forward, Shumate had a brief eight-game stint with Tulsa during the 2020/21 campaign before spending his final four college seasons at McNeese State. He went undrafted in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
While Shumate was a somewhat erratic offensive player during his college career, only shooting 26.9% on three-pointers and 51.2% on free throws, he was an All-Southland selection in each of his four years at McNeese State and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.
In 35 games as a senior last season, Shumate averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 27.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .623/.309/.423. He helped the Cowboys reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year — they upset Clemson in the first round before falling to Purdue.
Shumate almost certainly signed an Exhibit 10 deal and will likely be waived by New Orleans before the season begins. If he spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, he could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300.
The Pelicans’ offseason roster is now full, with 21 players under contract.
And-Ones: G League Trade, Offseason Moves, Spending, Draft Capital
The Heat‘s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, acquired the returning player rights to Alex Fudge from the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’s developmental team, the Skyforce announced in a release. The move was a three-team deal, with the Skyforce obtaining a 2026 first-round pick from the College Park Skyhawks (the Hawks‘ affiliate) while sending them Malik Williams. South Bay also obtained Caleb Daniels from Sioux Falls and Michael Devoe from College Park.
Fudge went undrafted in 2023 out of Florida but signed with the Lakers on a two-way contract that summer. He was later waived and then signed a two-way deal with Dallas before being cut last offseason. He spent all of last season with South Bay, averaging 5.5 points in 15 regular season games. The 22-year-old has appeared in six NBA games.
The other player in the deal with NBA experience is Williams, who suited up in seven games (two starts) with Toronto on a 10-day contract in 2023/24. He averaged 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in the G League last year with Sioux Falls.
Daniels previously signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Miami before averaging 10.8 PPG with the Skyforce last season. Devoe signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Clippers in 2022 and Jazz in 2023. He last played in the G League in 2023/24.
G League trades can often indicate a team is gearing up to sign one or more of the players involved to an Exhibit 10 contract. When teams sign players to Exhibit 10 deals, those players are eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with that organization’s G League affiliate.
Devoe played last year in Germany, so this trade doesn’t necessarily mean he will for sure suit up in the G League. But if he does, the South Bay Lakers currently controls his returning rights.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The Spurs signing Luke Kornet is one of the NBA’s most underrated moves of the offseason, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. San Antonio got a big that pairs nicely with Victor Wembanyama or can play when he’s off the floor without breaking the bank. In an article evaluating some of the most overlooked moves of the summer, Hollinger credits the Bulls for re-signing Josh Giddey at a decent price point and the Heat for trading for Norman Powell, while applauding various other moves.
- On the other hand, several teams made deals Hollinger was not a fan of. The Heat salary-dumping Haywood Highsmith is one such move, while the Pelicans acquiring Jordan Poole is another.
- With free agency largely over, pending the conclusion of restricted free agency for Quentin Grimes and Jonathan Kuminga, Keith Smith of Spotrac took a look at how teams spent their money this offseason. Small-market teams mostly led the way in total spending, signing players to big extensions. The Thunder, for example, led the league in new extension money at $776.3MM spread out between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams.
- The Thunder laid the blueprint for teams building through draft capital, winning a title with drafted players Holmgren and Williams leading the charge alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, who was himself acquired alongside draft assets. Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo of ESPN rank the top teams in the league by their draft capital, with the Thunder still leading the way with 13 incoming future first-round picks. Two rebuilding teams, the Nets and the Jazz, round out the top three.
Pelicans Sign, Waive Johnny O’Neil
The Pelicans have signed and waived undrafted rookie free agent Johnny O’Neil, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
A 6’10” forward/center who spent the past five years playing college basketball, O’Neil played for American University for three seasons before transferring to Santa Clara in 2023. Last season, he averaged 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 21.9 minutes per game across 34 outings (19 starts), with a shooting line of .432/.396/.778.
Although O’Neil generated little pre-draft buzz and didn’t suit up for the NBA Summer League in July, the Pelicans are apparently intrigued by his ability to protect the rim and stretch the floor as a big man.
Signing O’Neil to an Exhibit 10 contract and then waiving him should set up New Orleans to designate O’Neil as an affiliate player for the Birmingham Squadron in the G League this fall — and to pay him a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron.
The Pelicans now have 20 players under contract and appear to be using the 21st and final spot on their offseason roster to shuffle players in and out for G League purposes. The team also signed and waived undrafted rookie Jalon Moore this week.
Pelicans Sign, Waive Jalon Moore
September 17: Moore has been waived, according to the NBA transactions log. That opens up a training camp roster spot for New Orleans.
September 16: The Pelicans have signed rookie free agent Jalon Moore to a training camp deal, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.
A 6’7″ forward, Moore spent two seasons at Georgia Tech from 2021-23 and then two years at Oklahoma from 2023-25 before going undrafted in June. As a senior in 2024/25, he averaged 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game across 34 outings (all starts) for the Sooners, posting a solid shooting line of .471/.381/.840.
Moore had been projected as a possible second-round pick before he suffered an Achilles tear during a workout with the Spurs this spring, which prompted his agent Mike Silverman to call for changes to how the pre-draft process works.
“We’re truly heartbroken for Jalon,” Silverman told ESPN at the time. “It’s time to revamp the NBA pre-draft process. Flying around the country to perform intense competitive workouts exposes players to risk of major injuries. No other pro sports league puts their draft prospects in this position.”
While Moore seems likely to miss the entire 2025/26 season, the Pelicans may be planning to sign-and-waive him in order to gain his G League rights, with an eye toward keeping him in their system for ’26/27.
The transaction gives New Orleans a full 21-man offseason roster, including 14 players on guaranteed contracts, four (including Moore) on Exhibit 9/Exhibit 10 deals, and three on two-way pacts.
And-Ones: Top Newcomers, Realignment, McGrady, St. Bonnie’s
With most of the NBA’s offseason action now in the books, Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton of ESPN identify the 14 NBA “newcomers” whose changes of scenery will have the greatest impact in 2025/26.
There are no surprises at the top of the list, which features new Rockets forward Kevin Durant at No. 1, Magic guard Desmond Bane at No. 2, and Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson at No. 3. However, Herring and Pelton deviate a little from expectations at No. 4 by including a head coach: Mike Brown of the Knicks. As Herring writes, it’s possible no coach in the league will face more “title-or-bust pressure” than Brown in his first year on the job.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton rounds out the top five on the 14-man list, which – outside of Brown – is made up exclusively of players.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- What might NBA realignment look like if the league were to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle? Zach Harper of The Athletic takes a closer look at that topic, exploring scenarios in which either the Timberwolves, Pelicans, or Grizzlies move to the Eastern Conference and considering how the league might shuffle its divisions around in each hypothetical case.
- Former NBA star Tracy McGrady has signed a new endorsement deal to reunite with Adidas, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two parties are expected to work with longtime sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro to revive the ABCD (Academic Betterment and Career Development) Camp. As Charania explains in a follow-up tweet, the ABCD Camp was a youth basketball camp that ran for over two decades from 1984-2006 and featured several future stars, including McGrady himself.
- The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program will host its first ever pro day on Saturday, October 11 at the NBPA training facility in Manhattan, according to a press release from the school. “The first Bonnies Pro Day is a tremendous opportunity for NBA and G League front office executives to scout our players in a competitive practice and workout environment,” former ESPN reporter and current St. Bonnie’s general manager Adrian Wojnarowski said in a statement.
Contract Details: Sharpe, Liddell, Prosper, Brooks, Schumacher
As part of his two-year contract agreement with the Nets, Day’Ron Sharpe waived his right to veto a trade during the 2025/26 season, Hoops Rumors has learned.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal or a two-year deal that includes a second-year option is typically given an implicit no-trade clause, but a team can ask the player to give up that no-trade clause upon signing. Because Sharpe agreed to do so, he would lose his Bird rights if he’s traded ahead of February’s deadline.
[RELATED: NBA Players Who Can Veto Trades In 2025/26]
Even though he re-signed with his previous team, got a raise exceeding 20%, and signed for more than the minimum, Sharpe will become trade-eligible on December 15 instead of January 15 because the Nets were still operating below the cap upon completing his deal.
Here are more details on a few recently signed contracts from around the NBA:
- E.J. Liddell‘s new two-way contract with the Nets will cover just one season, Hoops Rumors has learned. The former Ohio State forward received a partial guarantee of $85,300 on that deal.
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies, also agreed to a one-year deal that includes a partial guarantee worth $85,300, but his partial guarantee would increase to $318,218 if he remains on the roster through opening night — that’s 50% of his full two-way salary ($636,435).
- As expected, the contract that Garrison Brooks signed with the Pelicans last week is a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. He’ll earn a bonus worth $85,300 if he’s waived by New Orleans and then spends at least 60 days with the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate.
- While most Exhibit 10 contracts include that maximum bonus of $85,300, that’s not the case for every E10 deal. For instance, Alex Schumacher – who was signed and waived by the Suns last week – will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $20K if he spends 60 or more days with the Valley Suns in the G League.
Southwest Notes: FVV, Adams, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavs
The Rockets‘ trade for Kevin Durant was clearly the most impactful move of the team’s offseason, but extending Steven Adams and re-signing Fred VanVleet on a more team-friendly deal shouldn’t be overlooked, Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) writes in a preview of the club’s season.
As Lerner points out, both VanVleet and Adams are respected locker-room leaders in addition to providing value on the court and were among Houston’s most effective players in the postseason series vs. Golden State.
After winning 52 games last season, the Rockets appear capable of increasing that number in 2025/26, perhaps to the 55-win range, Lerner writes. However, winning in the playoffs will be the ultimate barometer of success in Houston this season — the team hasn’t won a postseason series since 2020.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- In addition to previewing Houston’s 2025/26 campaign, Lerner spoke to beat writers for other Southwest teams within the past week to get a sense of their outlooks for the coming season. Michael Wallace of Grind City Media (Chronicle subscriber link) believes the Grizzlies are capable of competing for a top-six seed in the West after trading away Desmond Bane; Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com (subscriber link) thinks the Pelicans will exceed expectations after having widely been projected as the No. 14 team in the conference; and Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com (subscriber link) forecasts a 48-34 regular season and a playoff berth for the Mavericks.
- While the Mavericks‘ new four-year, $89MM extension with P.J. Washington looks relatively team-friendly in a vacuum, it’s unclear how much sense it makes for Dallas, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link), who points to a crowded frontcourt and the team’s increasingly pricey roster going forward as ways the deal could backfire.
- The Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies‘ G League affiliate, acquired the returning player rights for guard Evan Gilyard from the Raptors 905 in exchange for a 2025 NBAGL first-round pick, according to an announcement from the team (Twitter link). Gilyard, who averaged 12.3 points and 5.4 assists per game during the 2024/25 G League regular season for Toronto’s affiliate, is now a candidate to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Memphis if the team wants to pay him more than the standard NBAGL salary.
Pelicans Sign Jalen McDaniels
September 3: The signing of McDaniels is official, according to a team press release.
August 18: Jalen McDaniels has agreed to a contract with the Pelicans, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 27-year-old small forward saw limited time in four games last season after signing a 10-day deal with the Wizards in February. He spent most of the season with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, where he averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 38 total games.
McDaniels played his first three and a half NBA seasons in Charlotte after being selected with the 52nd pick in the 2019 draft, but he has bounced around the league since then. He was sent to Philadelphia in a four-team deal at the 2023 trade deadline, then signed with Toronto that summer. He was traded twice last year, being shipped to Sacramento in June and San Antonio in October. The Spurs waived him a day later, and he remained in the G League until he joined the Wizards.
In total, McDaniels has appeared in 252 NBA games with career averages of 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.1 minutes per night.
Charania doesn’t release any details of McDaniels’ new contract, but it could be an Exhibit 10 deal with an invitation to training camp. With 14 standard contracts, the Pelicans have one roster opening and are roughly $4.2MM below the luxury tax line, so they could carry a 15th man into the regular season without going into the tax.
McDaniels is ineligible for a two-way contract because he has already played six NBA seasons.
Pelicans Sign Garrison Brooks
September 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
September 2: The Pelicans have reached an agreement to sign free agent forward Garrison Brooks, agent Darrell Comer tells NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
While Haynes doesn’t specify the terms of the deal, it’s almost certain to be an Exhibit 10 contract. The Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate, recently acquired Brooks’ returning rights, so if the Pelicans sign him to an Exhibit 10 deal and then waive him prior to the start of the season, he’ll be in line to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron (on top of his base NBAGL salary).
Brooks, 26, went undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2022. He spent his rookie season in the G League with the Westchester Knicks, played in Korea for a few months in 2023, and then spent most of the past two seasons with BC Wolves in Lithuania.
In 18 EuroCup outings for the Wolves last season, Brooks averaged 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. During his previous NBAGL stint, in 2022/23, he put up 13.6 PPG and 11.6 RPG in 37 games (30.5 MPG) for Westchester.
Spencer Davies of RG.org reported in July that Brooks was among the players who took part in a Las Vegas pro day for the agency CSE and was drawing interest at the time as a potential NBA training camp option.