1) Monday was a news-heavy day for New Orleans, beginning with the official signings of free agents Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton, both four-year NBA veterans. Key reserve contributor Ian Clark was re-signed.
2) Check out photo galleries of Randle and Payton.
3) Read an insightful and fun-filled Q&A on Payton, featuring OrlandoMagic.com writer Dan Savage.
4) Alvin Gentry spoke about Randle and Payton, as well as a range of other team-related topics, during a session with the media in Las Vegas.
5) The summer Pelicans played in a third straight high-scoring game in NBA Summer League on Monday, but this time were defeated 105-97 by Detroit. New Orleans finished pool play at 2-1 and now will await its date, time and opponent during Round 1 of the league’s tournament bracket. With all 30 NBA teams now competing in Las Vegas, some first-round games will be played Wednesday, while others won’t tip off until Thursday. The Pelicans likely will finish with a top-15 seed, but have no chance of placing in the top five or earning a bye. More details are expected to be available Tuesday evening, after a slate of five games are completed today. Tuesday’s final game tips at 7:30 p.m. Central.