The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed free agent forward Zylan Cheatham and guard Josh Gray to two-way contracts. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Cheatham, 6-8, 220, joined the Pelicans’ Summer League team after going undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019. In six Summer League games, Cheatham averaged 5.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. During his senior season at Arizona State, the Phoenix native started all 34 games and averaged 12.1 points, a Pac-12 leading 10.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on his way to Pac-12 First-Team and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors.
Gray, 6-1, 182, most recently appeared in six games as a member of the Brooklyn Nets’ 2019 Summer League team, averaging 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals. As a member of the Korean Basketball League’s Changwon LG Sakers in 2018-19, Gray averaged 17.3 points, 3.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 24.3 minutes per game. Undrafted out of Louisiana State University in 2016, Gray appeared in 95 games (37 starts) with the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns from 2016-18, averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 29.3 minutes per game. He also appeared in five NBA games with the Phoenix Suns during the 2017-18 season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 17.2 minutes per contest.
Per NBA rules, teams are permitted sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Pelicans will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Erie BayHawks – but can spend up to 45 days with New Orleans, not including any time prior to the start of Erie’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.