Pelicans Rumors

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Marshall, Spurs, Pelicans, McCollum

November 23rd, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After a late-game defensive breakdown resulted in a frustrating two-point loss in Utah last Thursday, the Mavericks immediately watched film and held a post-game meeting, with “accountability, effort and unselfishness” among the themes, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“We talked about a lot of things, and got a lot of things out in the open,” Mavericks forward P.J. Washington said, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “But the main thing is that we knew we were better than that, and that we had to be better going forward.”

“We needed to stop playing ‘I’ basketball and we needed to play ‘we’ basketball,” center Dereck Lively added, per Curtis. “That’s what we’ve been doing these past couple of games and it’s been working.”

As Lively points out, the Mavericks have turned things around since falling to 5-7 with that loss in Utah. The team will take a four-game winning streak into Miami on Sunday, having registered a pair of comfortable home victories over San Antonio and New Orleans along with two impressive road wins in Oklahoma City and Denver in the past week. While that loss to the Jazz has cost the Mavs a few spots in the tightly congested Western Conference standings, Washington is happy that something good came out of it.

“In a way I’m kind of glad that it happened,” he said. “Because you never want to lose like that. We all knew that we were capable of doing a lot of things better. We needed to be accountable to each other. So, that’s why we kind of talked about it right after the game.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Mavericks forward Naji Marshall helped seal Friday’s win over Denver, playing clutch minutes in the fourth quarter with Klay Thompson on the bench, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda spoke to Marshall about adjusting to a new team this fall after spending four years in New Orleans and talked to some of Marshall’s new teammates about the impact the newcomer has had so far. “This is the most talented team I’ve been on,” Marshall told Afseth. “The coaches are great, the front office is amazing, and the training staff is incredible. I really have no complaints.”
Devin Vassell (sore left knee) will be unavailable for a fourth straight game on Saturday, but it appears Victor Wembanyama (bruised right knee) will make his return after missing the past three contests. After initially listing both players as questionable, the Spurs have ruled out Vassell and upgraded Wembanyama to probable, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since opening the season with back-to-back wins and now hold a 4-13 record. However, Zion Williamson remains optimistic that the team has time to turn things around, especially once more key players – including Zion himself – return from injuries. “We know the position we are in right now,” Williamson said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “It’s not a good one at the moment. We come in the gym every day in good spirits. We are going to figure it out.”
One injured Pelicans player who appears to be nearing a return? CJ McCollum. The veteran guard has been on the shelf since October 29 due to a thigh injury, but told reporters that he went through a contact practice on Saturday and hopes to suit up on Monday vs. Indiana (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).

Zion Williamson Parting Ways With CAA

November 23rd, 2024 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and his representatives at Creative Arts Agency, including agent Austin Brown, are parting ways, sources tell Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

It’s unclear why the two sides are ending their relationship, according to The Athletic’s duo, but the National Basketball Players Association has confirmed that CAA is no longer listed as Williamson’s representative.

The player’s union doesn’t yet have a new agent on record for the former No. 1 overall pick, Vardon and Amick add. A player who parts with an agent must wait 15 days before hiring new representation.

Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, so in all likelihood, he won’t be negotiating a new deal anytime soon.

However, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic previously reported, the 24-year-old’s contract is a unique one. Currently, the final three years of Williamson’s deal, beginning in 2025/26, are non-guaranteed. He can re-guarantee part or all of his salary for ’25/26 by meeting the following benchmarks:

Appearing in at least 41 games this season: 40% guarantee
Appearing in at least 51 games this season: An additional 20%
Appearing in at least 61 games this season: An additional 20%
Passing all six of his weigh-in checkpoints this season (his combined weight and body fat percentage must be below 295): An additional 20%

Those criteria are the same for each season. For instance, if Williamson plays in at least 61 games and passes all his weigh-in checkpoints during the 2025/26 season, he would automatically guarantee his full salary for ’26/27.

The Pelicans forward is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and reportedly isn’t close to returning, so those games-played thresholds will become increasingly difficult to meet the longer he remains sidelined, meaning some or all of his ’25/26 salary will likely remain non-guaranteed.

Still, as Vardon and Amick write, the Pelicans won’t realize any cap savings as a result of Williamson’s non-guaranteed salaries unless they waive him, which seems highly unlikely to happen anytime in the near future. If he remains under contract through July 15, 2025, his ’25/26 salary will become fully guaranteed.

When he’s healthy and available, the former Duke standout is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players — he holds career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 31.8 minutes per game across 190 outings (all starts). The problem is that he has missed 217 regular season games and counting during his five-plus seasons in the league.

Zion Williamson Not Near Return For Pelicans

November 22nd, 2024 at 5:13pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson is nowhere near being ready to return to the hardwood for New Orleans, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. The 6’6″ superstar, who sustained a left hamstring strain two weeks ago, has undergone “multiple treatments” on the affected hamstring, Charania adds.

Sources tell ESPN that the Pelicans were initially bracing for Williamson to miss at least four to six weeks as a result of the injury. However, it’s possible his absence will extend beyond that window, according to Charania, who notes that the former No. 1 overall pick has suffered multiple hamstring strains since entering the league. In other words, the team will be cautious with his recovery timeline.

In his six healthy contests for New Orleans, Williamson averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He posted a shooting line of .452/.333/.667 during those bouts.

Injuries and fitness have been a major impediment to Williamson’s pro career. Since being selected with the No. 1 pick out of Duke in 2019, Williamson has already missed 48 or more games in three separate seasons due to various maladies. Charania notes that the forward has only been available for 190 of over 400 potential regular season contests.

The Pelicans have fallen on hard times with a rash of long-term injuries beyond just Williams. Aside from Williamson, forward/center Herbert Jones, and guards Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins have all missed extended time this year. The team is currently 4-12 in the competitive Western Conference.

New Orleans did get some good news Friday, at least. Will Guillory of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Hawkins and Brandon Ingram, who missed Wednesday’s game with a bilateral ankle sprain, will suit up for the Pelicans for their NBA Cup tilt against the Warriors.

Pelicans Notes: Green, Rotation, Potential Trades, Lakers Pick, McCollum, Hawkins

November 21st, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Pelicans, who had hoped to reach or surpass the 50-win mark this season, are spiraling due to injuries. At 4-12, there’s been some outside speculation that head coach Willie Green‘s job could be in jeopardy, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. However, Guillory doesn’t believe Green is in danger of losing his position, given that the team’s current starters include Brandon Boston Jr., Javonte Green and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl — Green wasn’t on the team until late August, while Boston was added the day before the regular season tipped off.

Even though those players have had some nice individual moments, it’s important to consider that Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones, CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray — most of the starting lineup — have all missed extensive time. Key rotation pieces like Trey Murphy, Jordan Hawkins and Jose Alvarado have also suffered injuries.

While the injuries are a large part of the Pelicans’ slow start, Guillory opines that Green could still be making some improvements as the schedule wears on. New Orleans has struggled in close games this year. However, Guillory doesn’t believe that any one person should be shouldering the blame, including the medical staff.

We have more from the Pelicans:

Once the Pelicans get healthier, they’ll have some key rotation decisions to make. Rookie Yves Missi has been a bright spot this season and should be under consideration for the starting center spot when the team is healthy, Guillory suggests in the same mailbag. Still, Green might opt to close some games with Robinson-Earl or Jones (when he’s healthy) for spacing purposes. Guillory also sees Boston continuing to see some minutes when the team is closer to 100%. The fourth-year swingman has been impressive, averaging 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on a two-way contract.
While there still isn’t much smoke regarding a potential Brandon Ingram trade despite his pending unrestricted free agent status, Guillory expects any potential trade involving Ingram to bring back a starting-caliber center. Still, Guillory writes that it doesn’t make much sense to move assets when the team is far from playoff contention at the moment.
In light of Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht exploding for 37 points, it’s easy to wonder if the Pelicans regret giving up that pick. The Pelicans had the rights to Los Angeles’s No. 17 overall pick (used on Knecht), but chose to defer the selection to a 2025 unprotected first-rounder. Guillory points out that adding another first-round salary would’ve been difficult, given the Pelicans’ current financial situation, and that punting on the selection and hoping the Lakers would have a rough season seemed like a better idea than taking another swing in an uncertain class. The Lakers are 10-4 and third in the Western Conference, so it looks like that first-round pick may end up being worse than No. 17.
McCollum was upgraded to doubtful on the Pelicans’ latest injury report, according to Guillory (Twitter link). Hawkins was also upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game. It looks like both players will return from injury in the coming days, which lines up with recent reporting.
In case you missed it, Elfrid Payton, signed to a contract on Wednesday, played well in his debut with the Pelicans.

Western Notes: DeRozan, Sabonis, Monk, Melton, Jenkins, Payton

November 21st, 2024 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings forward DeMar DeRozan intends to return to action on Friday vs. the Clippers after missing three games due to a back issue, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

DeRozan may not be the only key player back on the court for the team in Los Angeles. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), Domantas Sabonis (back) has fully participated in practice for the past two days, while Malik Monk (ankle) also took part in Thursday’s practice.

As Anderson relays (via Twitter), head coach Mike Brown said today that Monk – who is working his way back from an ankle sprain that was expected to keep him on the shelf through this weekend – will “most likely” remain inactive for Friday’s contest. However, Brown confirmed that DeRozan and Sabonis are “looking good” to return.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton, who will undergo season-ending surgery on his ACL, is well-liked in the locker room and could be a candidate to return to Golden State next season, given that he should be available at a bargain price, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I know the imprint he’s already left on this organization,” teammate Draymond Green said. “He’ll have an opportunity to come back. Hopefully, he decides that’s the right thing for him.”
Taylor Jenkins secured his 215th win as the Grizzlies head coach on Wednesday to pass Lionel Hollins as the winningest coach in team history, per Clay Bailey of The Associated Press. “It’s an unbelievable honor to be among the company of so many great coaches that have come before me,” said Jenkins, who holds a 215-192 regular season record since being hired in 2019. “I always talk about the unbelievable responsibility to be the coach of this franchise. It’s a privilege and an honor.”
Appearing in his first NBA regular season game since April 2022, Elfrid Payton earned a start for the shorthanded Pelicans on Wednesday, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Payton, who signed a non-guaranteed contract earlier in the day, made the most of the opportunity, contributing 11 points, eight assists, and five rebounds on 5-of-8 shooting in 22 minutes.

Western Notes: Durant, Beal, Rockets, Giannis, Marshall, Pelicans

November 20th, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s optimism that Kevin Durant will be able to return from his left calf strain at some point next week, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link), who suggests the Suns star could be back on the court as soon as Tuesday for an NBA Cup matchup with the Lakers.

There’s also optimism that Bradley Beal, who is dealing with a left calf strain of his own, will be able to return at some point next week, says Charania.

After taking on the Knicks on Wednesday in Phoenix, the Suns will have five days off before facing the Lakers, so if Durant can make it back for that Tuesday game, he’ll only be sidelined for one more contest. That would be great news for the Suns, who got off to an 8-1 start with Durant in the lineup and have gone 1-5 since he went down.

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

The Rockets aren’t interested in breaking up their core to acquire Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). The report is presumably a response to Marc Stein saying that rival teams are keeping an eye on Houston as a possible Antetokounmpo suitor should he become available. However, given that Giannis isn’t actually available and Houston’s “core” isn’t precisely defined, it reads less like the Rockets are taking a hard-line position they’ll stick to in hypothetical negotiations down the road and more like they simply want to express how highly they value their young players.
Mavericks forward Naji Marshall admitted he was “a little bit excited” to play the Pelicans on Tuesday, since it was his first time since entering the NBA that he got a chance to face a former team, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Marshall, who had 15 points and three steals as Dallas secured a blowout win, said he has enjoyed seeing several former teammates who arrived in New Orleans around the same time as him secure contract extensions. “It’s crazy to see how it panned out,” Marshall said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Herb (Jones) is somebody. Jose (Alvarado). Trey (Murphy). Me. It’s a blessing. It’s something you dream about literally. When we were kids, wondering if we were going to be here or not. To see it all pan out and go in our favor is amazing.”
Reinforcements should be coming soon for the injury-plagued Pelicans, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic, who says CJ McCollum could be back as soon as this Friday, with Jones and Jordan Hawkins to follow in the coming weeks. There’s hope that the team will be mostly healthy early next month, Guillory writes, though Alvarado’s and Zion Williamson‘s absences will likely extend beyond that. As Guillory details, if and when the Pelicans get back to full strength, the pressure will be on head coach Willie Green to get the team back into playoff contention.

Injury Notes: Hartenstein, Pelicans, N. Powell, P. Williams

November 20th, 2024 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the top free agent acquisitions of the summer could make his debut for his new team as soon as Wednesday night. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has been upgraded to questionable for the first time this season.

Hartenstein appeared in three preseason games with the Thunder last month, but fractured his left hand just before the regular season began. At the time, the club said he would be reevaluated in about five-to-six weeks. That was just under five weeks ago, so if Hartenstein is activated for Wednesday’s matchup with Portland, he would beat his initial recovery timeline.

It’s worth noting that after Wednesday’s game, Oklahoma City will have four days off before beginning a four-game road trip on Monday in Sacramento, so if Hartenstein doesn’t play vs. Portland, he’ll have a few more days to gear up for his season debut. His return will be a major boon to a Thunder team that has also been missing centers Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams due to injuries and could badly use a frontcourt presence.

Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:

The Pelicans‘ injured list continues to grow. Already missing six regulars, the team has ruled out Brandon Ingram (bilateral ankle sprain) and Trey Murphy (right hamstring injury management) for the second end of a back-to-back set on Wednesday vs. Cleveland, per a team release. Rookie center Yves Missi, who has started the club’s past 10 games, is listed as questionable due to left shoulder soreness.
Clippers wing Norman Powell, who has been the team’s leading scorer so far this season with 23.3 points per game, has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando due to a left hamstring strain, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. It’s not yet known whether Powell will have to miss additional time beyond that contest.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams will miss Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, having returned to Chicago prior to the end of the team’s road trip in order to undergo imaging on his sore left foot (story via ESPN). The Bulls dubbed the testing as precautionary and it doesn’t sound like they believe there’s any real cause for concern, but it’s worth noting that Williams underwent surgery on that same foot in February.

Pelicans Sign Elfrid Payton, Waive Jaylen Nowell

November 20th, 2024 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

12:34pm: The Pelicans have officially signed Payton and waived Nowell, the team confirmed in a press release. As expected, Payton’s deal is non-guaranteed, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

7:19am: The Pelicans and free agent guard Elfrid Payton have agreed to a deal, agent Darrell Comer tells Shams Charania of ESPN.

As Charania notes, the agreement will reunite Payton and Pelicans head coach Willie Green, who were teammates on the Magic during the 2014/15 season, Green’s last as a player — and Payton’s first.

The 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Payton has 500 regular season appearances under his belt across eight NBA seasons with the Magic, Suns, Pelicans, and Knicks. However, he hasn’t been on a regular season roster since suiting up for Phoenix during the 2021/22 season. The 30-year-old played in Puerto Rico in 2023 and then spent last season with the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.

A Louisiana native who played college ball for the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, Payton has never been a great shooter, with career averages of 44.7% from the floor and 28.7% from beyond the arc. However, he’s a talented ball-handler and play-maker who averaged 10.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game over the course of his NBA career.

Payton was briefly in camp with the Pelicans last month and joined their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, to start the season.

While it appears that New Orleans could qualify for a hardship exception as a result of injuries to Dejounte Murray (hand), Herbert Jones (shoulder), Zion Williamson (hamstring), CJ McCollum (thigh), Jose Alvarado (hamstring), and Jordan Hawkins (back), Charania reports that the team is waiving Jaylen Nowell in order to create a spot on the 15-man roster for Payton.

That suggests that the Pelicans either expect some of their injured players to return within the next couple weeks or want to avoid pushing their payroll into luxury tax territory.

Nowell averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 21.0 minutes per game during eight outings with the Pelicans, posting a shooting line of just .356/.296/.636. He had been on a non-guaranteed contract, so the Pelicans will take on a modest cap hit for the time he spent on the roster. If he’s officially waived on Wednesday, Nowell’s cap charge will work out to $278,782.

The details of Payton’s deal have yet to be reported, but it will likely be a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract like Nowell’s.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Doncic, McCollum, Missi

November 18th, 2024 at 7:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have officially listed Victor Wembanyama as doubtful for Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder due to a bruised knee, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. San Antonio had indicated after practice the star center would be listed as questionable, according to Orsborn.

Wembanyama sat out Saturday’s loss at Dallas after suffering the injury in a collision with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis on Friday night. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 22.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in his second season.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic is listed as questionable to play against the Pelicans on Tuesday due to a right knee contusion, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets. Doncic logged a season-low 28 minutes against the Spurs on Saturday.
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum practiced on Monday but didn’t go through any contact drills, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune tweets. McCollum hasn’t played since Oct. 29 due to a thigh injury. He has already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game.
Could Yves Missi be the answer for the Pelicans at center? William Guillory of The Athletic explores this question. The 21st overall pick in this year’s draft has posted double digits in rebounds in three of the last four games and has shown versatility on defense. Missi has also proved to be a quick learner. “It’s great for him to get these minutes and these experiences early in the season. It’s going to pay off huge for him as we progress throughout the year,” coach Willie Green said. “We expect this is going to pay off for him in the long run.”

Southwest Notes: Antetokounmpo, V. Williams, Bane, Edey, Doncic, Pelicans

November 18th, 2024 at 8:47am CST by Earnest Marshall

Despite recent reporting indicating that rival scouts and executives view Houston as a favorite to make a big in-season splash, NBA insider Marc Stein writes at Substack that “consistent whispers” around the league point to the Rockets waiting until the offseason to buy more time to see if a big trade target shakes loose.

Houston expressed interest in trading for Kevin Durant this past summer and was immediately rebuffed by Phoenix. According to Stein, similar rumors are starting to percolate about a potential down-the-line Rockets pursuit of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As we’ve relayed, the Bucks aren’t expected to entertain any offers for their franchise legend even amid a 4-9 start to the year. But the Rockets’ treasure chest of draft assets and young players could put them in prime position to be a suitor if Antetokounmpo ever decides to ask out of Milwaukee.

Stein notes that Giannis has an admiration for Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon. Antetokounmpo is selective about who he works out with, but hasn’t been shy about training with Olajuwon, who Steins says would be a strong recruiter in this specific scenario.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

After missing the first 12 games of the season for the Grizzlies, rotation wing Vince Williams Jr. made his return on Friday, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes (Subscriber link). In his first two games back with the team, Williams is averaging 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as part of the rotation. Williams broke out for the Grizzlies last season, starting in 33 games and averaging 10.0 PPG. Meanwhile, Desmond Bane returned from a seven-game absence on Friday, playing off the bench for the first time since his rookie season. He started the team’s next game on Sunday.
Grizzlies rookie center Zach Edey exited Sunday’s contest against the Nuggets with an ankle injury and did not return ESPN reports. It’s unclear what the severity of Edey’s injury is, but he left when the Grizzlies were up by 18 points, so there’s a chance he was held out for the rest of the game as a precautionary measure.
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic continues to be listed as probable on the team’s injury reports, but the type of injury he’s dealing with in recent games has changed. According to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal, Doncic was affected by a left groin strain before that listing was changed to a right knee contusion. When asked about his injury status, Doncic said he feels “a little bit less” than 100% right now. “I mean, it’s probably a matter of time, just, there’s not a lot of time to rest, but I’ll get better. I promise,” Doncic said.
The Pelicans are 2-8 in their last 10 games as injuries continue to mount, with almost every member of their regular rotation suffering some sort of injury. New Orleans’ most recent loss came to former Pelicans player JJ Redick‘s Lakers. According to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, Redick acknowledged that New Orleans’ health issues are preventing them from reaching their potential. Redick played in New Orleans from 2019-21 alongside Brandon Ingram, who finished Saturday’s game with 32 points and eight assists, and Zion Williamson, who missed the matchup with an injury. “With Zion, the biggest thing is him being healthy,” Redick said. “We all want to see Zion perform and play because he’s a special player. I got a chance my second year, before I got traded, to see sort of the version 1.0 of Point Zion. It’s been fun to watch that from afar as he’s gotten opportunities to initiate the offense and be the ball handler in the pick and roll.“

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