free agency

If this week of NBA transactions, rumors and reports hasn’t already been wild enough, get ready – now it’s time for free agency. The league announced earlier this month that the 30 teams would be allowed to begin negotiating with free agents Friday at 5 p.m. Central. On Sunday, you may want to keep one eye on football and the other on Twitter, because NBA teams can officially announce signings of players at 11 a.m. Central, an hour before seven games kick off in NFL stadiums.

New Orleans enters Friday’s free-agent period with nine free agents, divided into two categories: Unrestricted and restricted. To make a long story short, unrestricted free agents have the ability to sign a contract with any NBA team of their choice, while teams can retain a restricted free agent by matching an offer sheet extended to that player from another club. Here is the list of Pelicans free agents, in order of category and how many minutes they logged during the 2019-20 regular season:

In his first season in Crescent City, started at center 49 times, after missing early-season stretches of games due to injury and personal reasons. Pelicans went 24-27 in the games he played.

Four-year Pelican was out of rotation early in 2019-20 but later appeared in 40 of NOLA’s final 44 games. Started 80 games for ’18 team that reached Western Conference semifinals.

Often was third-string center when Favors was healthy last season, but started nine times, including memorable games of 20-plus points in wins vs. Denver and Detroit.

Sindarius Thornwell (2 games, 35 minutes)

Added to the roster for Orlando bubble for depth and defense at the wing. Appeared in the final two games of restart after Pelicans were mathematically eliminated.

A first-time All-Star last season, led New Orleans in scoring (23.8 ppg) and ranked third in assists (4.2 apg) and steals (1.0 spg). Posted career highs in three-point and free throw percentage.

Injury curtailed his impact after he made significant contributions and started 29 games as a rookie in 2018-19. Played in 35 of team’s first 37 games, but then just four of final 35.

A rarity on Pelicans roster in that he compiled his best stretch of 2019-20 during the Orlando bubble. Second-year guard capped season with 18- and 31-point games vs. Kings and Magic, respectively.

Over 34 games in G League with Erie, averaged 16.3 points and 11.9 rebounds. Highlight with Pelicans was an 11-minute outing at Detroit in which he contributed to overtime win.

Lake Charles native was G League’s fifth-leading scorer at 22.5 points per game over 37 appearances. Appeared in back-to-back mid-November games for Pelicans, including home win over Golden State.

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Pelicans have nine free agents as market opens Friday evening

While much of the fan and media focus at NBA Summer League was understandably on the progress of well-known, high-lottery picks such as Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton and Atlanta’s Trae Young, one of the best individual stories in Las Vegas took place far beneath the radar. Undrafted rookie shooting guard Trevon Bluiett wasn’t even a lock to be in the New Orleans rotation when summer training camp commenced July 2, but a week later, Bluiett and his agent were already in contract talks with the Pelicans. The Xavier (Ohio) product officially signed a two-way deal Tuesday, partly the result of him averaging 18.3 points over four games with the summer squad. He shot 53.6 percent from three-point range – sinking six treys apiece in wins over Toronto and Miami – while averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just 25.7 minutes per game. Bluiett produced those numbers despite coming off the bench three times in his four appearances.

“It does feel good,” Bluiett said in Las Vegas of signing his two-way contract. “For GMs to see that I have a place in the NBA, that I bring many assets to a team, rather than just shooting. In college, people may have questioned whether there was room for me in the league. Coming out here and experiencing it, it makes me feel better about having a place in the league.”

The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder was available for any NBA team to sign after he was not selected in the June 21 draft. He opted to join New Orleans’ summer league squad, hoping to get an initial chance to prove himself as a pro. Bluiett – who averaged 19.3 points as a senior for a Xavier team that went 29-6 and earned first place in the Big East – was disappointed to go undrafted, but vowed to not let that deter him from his ultimate goal of becoming an NBA player.

“I did expect my name to get called, just from how I felt workouts went and what I talked about with teams,” Bluiett said of his pre-draft experience. “But at the end of the day, stuff like that happens. It was disappointing, but I never wavered. I really didn’t think too much about it; I thought the next thing coming up is summer league. I’d say it actually kind of helped me, to fuel the fire and come out here to get a contract. Instead of sitting around blaming everyone and making excuses, I just moved on to the next opportunity and tried to focus on that.”

New Orleans coaches immediately noticed his shot-making ability during the summer team’s four-day minicamp in Metairie, which Bluiett carried over to games in Las Vegas. He scored 24 and 26 points, respectively, in his first-ever pro contests, helping lead the Pelicans to one-sided wins over the Raptors and Heat. In the following games vs. Detroit and a rematch with Miami, defenses paid much closer attention to the red-hot shooter, which created additional room for teammates.

“The first two games he was obviously tremendous,” Pelicans three-year head coach Alvin Gentry said. “I told him when you shoot the ball that well, (opposing) teams have a tendency to say, ‘Hmm, we better guard him.’ So everything changes from there. It’s something where he’ll have to learn other facets of his game he can go to, and learn that he doesn’t have to just be a scorer to be a good player.”

Gentry added that Bluiett has already demonstrated the ability to do that.

“He’s shown in the games this summer that he’s not just a shooter, that he can be a playmaker, and I like his defense,” Gentry said. “He’s way ahead of where guys would normally be at this stage. He’s a good addition to our team, and has an opportunity to make our team and be a huge factor.”

Bluiett, who launched nearly six three-pointers per game over 142 total contests in college, fired 28 of them in his four games in Las Vegas. The 23-year-old Indianapolis native indicated that long-distance prowess has always been a staple of his game, partly out of necessity when he was a youngster.

“I’ve always been a shooter, ever since I was a little kid,” he said, smiling. “I was kind of an out-of-shape, chubby little kid, so that was really all I could do. I feel comfortable at the NBA three-point line. Any time I’m open, I feel like it’s a good shot. When you play at the NBA level, you realize that there is a lot more space, a lot more opportunity to create plays. In college, you have to do a little bit more, sometimes play outside of your toolbox, out of your specialties, just to help your team win.”

When news spread that Bluiett was signing a contract with the Pelicans, he heard from many friends and acquaintances who wanted to congratulate him on the life-changing achievement. Bluiett also thought about the message he received from those who emphasized that his two-way deal is merely a first step to success in the NBA.

“They’re all excited. I got a lot of congratulations and proud of yous,” Bluiett said of the immediate reaction. “I also got some people congratulating, but saying ‘Don’t take the gas pedal off.’ I know that a two-way is a big deal for me, but that it’s just a foot in the door. It’s not my stopping point. I’ve got to keep my head down and go to work.”

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Trevon Bluiett goes from undrafted to summer standout to Pelicans two-way contract signee

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Day 1 in New Orleans for Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton

When asked how Julius Randle might fit into a frenetic, up-tempo offensive attack like the one New Orleans prefers, Pelicans three-year head coach Alvin Gentry referenced a statistic that could bode well for the free agent’s ability to adjust to his new NBA team. Among the league’s 30 squads in 2017-18, Randle actually played for one of only two clubs that relied on a faster pace than the Pelicans.

“The pace is not going to be a problem,” a smiling Gentry said, alluding to the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers were No. 1 in that stat last season, at 102.78 possessions per 48 minutes. “Obviously Luke (Walton) is kind of from the same school I am, from a pace standpoint and (being recent assistant coaches at) Golden State. We’ll give (Randle) an opportunity to continue to play in the open court. I think that was the thing that was most attractive to him (about signing with the Pelicans).”

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward and center is coming off a career-best campaign with the pace-pushing Lakers, averaging 16.1 points on 55.8 percent shooting from the field (he ranked No. 10 in the league in accuracy, while Anthony Davis was 16th at 53.4). Randle is joining a New Orleans team that finished third in pace, at 102.73, which only increased during the second half of the regular season (104.23 after the All-Star break, second to only Phoenix).

In the halfcourt attack, the Pelicans like the Kentucky product’s multidimensional skill set, including an athletic and powerful frame to get buckets in the paint, driving ability, as well as above-average passing for his position (career 2.6 assists per game; Davis averages 1.9). Randle also averages 8.9 rebounds over his four-year career, despite never logging 30-plus minutes per game in any year.

“What stands out is his ability to handle the ball and playmake, especially for his position,” Pelicans Director of Player Personnel David Booth said. “He can score on the low block and his rebounding is something we thought would really be able to help us in the future.

“I think he has different looks to his game. He can get to the basket, pass to other guys. He’s a go-to scorer in the low block, if you need him to do that. He’s also able to guard fours and fives. With the lineups we have with AD, Niko (Mirotic) and Cheick (Diallo), he’ll be able to come in and fit with those guys.”

Gentry: “He’s going to be able to get out on the floor and be a facilitator. I think it’s a good match.”

Randle played just one year of college hoops at UK, so even though he’s a four-year NBA veteran, he’s only 23. The Pelicans believe Randle has more room to improve at this early stage of his career, with some of that optimism coming from the work ethic and dedication Randle has already demonstrated. He was a very reliable player for the Lakers, highlighted by playing all 82 games last season, despite being on a team destined for the lottery after an 11-27 start.

“He’s very competitive and plays hard,” Booth credited. “A guy we thought could add to our culture and we thought would be great playing next to AD, because of his physicality. His energy level is excellent. He’s a blue-collar guy, a hard worker who you don’t have to question if he’s going to play hard every night. He brings his lunch pail and hard hat every night. That has always stood out to me.”

“He’s been a hard worker, and that’s part of it,” Gentry said of one factor why Randle has improved his production each successive season in the NBA. “And he’s a really young kid. Everyone forgets about that. It’s not like we’re signing a 30-year-old guy. It gives you an opportunity to grow, and hopefully he’ll be one of our core guys for our team for a long time.”

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Fast-paced Pelicans optimistic about upside and versatility of Julius Randle

To learn more about New Orleans free-agent signee – and Crescent City native – Elfrid Payton, we caught up with OrlandoMagic.com writer Dan Savage. Savage covered Payton during the point guard’s three-plus seasons with Orlando. Payton spent the final portion of last season with Phoenix, following a trade-deadline deal:

Pelicans.com: A chunk of Pelicans fans are already familiar with Payton for obvious reasons – he is a Crescent City native and was an in-state standout collegiate guard. For those who may not know a lot about him, what is he like personality-wise? On the surface, it seems like many casual hoops fans also know him mostly for his unique haircut.

Savage: E.P. is a laidback guy. It’s part of what makes him valuable as a point guard. You rarely – if ever – see him get rattled on the basketball court. He’s usually cool, calm and collected.

Pelicans.com: How frequently did he make reference to his New Orleans roots during his tenure in Orlando? Apparently he is also an avid Saints fan.

Savage: Oh yeah, E.P. definitely loves his home city. After all, he does have the old “Fleur de Bee” tattoo on his right shoulder. Even during his time with the Magic, Payton would take trips back to Gretna to give back to his hometown. Later this month, he’ll host his second annual Charity “Glow” kickball tournament with some of his former teammates and celebrities with New Orleans ties. I was fortunate enough to travel with him back to his high school during the 2017 All-Star Weekend as his jersey was retired at John Ehret High School, so I was able to see the passion and hear some of his childhood stories firsthand. As for the Saints, he’s an avid supporter. Each season on OrlandoMagic.com, we have players select who they think will win the Super Bowl. I believe Payton’s picked them every single time. 

Pelicans.com: Payton is the Orlando franchise leader in triple-doubles and had some outstanding stretches with the Magic. He started 234 games there over just three-plus seasons. How did it so quickly seem to go from him being a big part of the future to out of the team’s plans?

Savage: There were without a doubt some high points during his Magic tenure. During his rookie campaign, there were a number of people around the league who thought he should be considered for Rookie of the Year. However, Payton was unable to take the next step in his development in Orlando. The team looked more offensively fluid in certain stages last season with D.J. Augustin – a more capable 3-point threat – running the show and Augustin’s presence on the floor created better spacing for his teammates. When it came down to the trade deadline, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman ultimately thought it was best for the team and Payton – who was in a contract year – to part ways at that time and get something in return for Orlando.

Pelicans.com: He’s had numerous high-assist games in his career and is known as an excellent passer. How might his skills fit into an up-tempo system like the one run by New Orleans and Alvin Gentry?

Savage: In order for Payton to be successful at this stage of his career and development, he needs to play in an up-tempo system. He’s at his best in transition when surrounded by shooters and lob threats as he’s fully capable of pushing the pace and then either using his size and vision to deliver the ball to shooters, setting up others for alley oops or slashing through the lane and finishing at the rim.

Prior to last season, OrlandoMagic.com looked back at the chemistry between Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton during the 2016-17 season. Gordon shot 127-of-237 from the field (53.6 percent) and had a 58.4 effective field goal percentage when the pass before the shot attempt came from Payton (95 of those made shots counted as assists for E.P.).

Here’s how that compared to other notable tandems around the league during that same timeframe:

Bradley Beal from John Wall: 48.6 percent (58.3 effective FG%)

Kevin Durant from Stephen Curry: 50.4 percent (57.7 effective FG%) Kevin Love from LeBron James: 45.1 percent (56.3 effective FG%)

Anthony Davis from Jrue Holiday: 50.9 percent (52.7 effective FG%)

Blake Griffin from Chris Paul: 49.1 percent (51.7 effective FG%) DeMar DeRozan from Kyle Lowry: 49.4 percent (50.3 effective FG%)

Of the 127 Payton to Gordon made shots, 40 were dunks and many of those came from alley-oop tosses. I’m sure New Orleans looked at some of those statistics and will attempt to generate a similar on-court relationship between Payton and Davis.

Pelicans.com: Payton is known as a below-average shooter, as evidenced by a 29.8 percentage from three-point range, but his accuracy from the field has actually increased in every year of his career, topped by 49.3 last season. Why has his success rate inside the arc seemed to consistently improve?

Savage: While he’s still not a threat from outside the arc, he’s improved as a decision maker. Payton is extremely calculated when determining when to drive to the basket, thus making him more efficient and improving his overall percentages. Over the course of his career, he’s also developed a better floater that’s given him another tool in his driving arsenal.

Pelicans.com: Are there any aspects of his game that still have upside, or areas he wasn’t fully capable of showing based on the role he filled with the Magic?

Savage: We all know he’s a triple-double threat on any given night, but in my opinion, there are two areas of Payton’s development which will determine his long-term success in this league.

First is his outside shot. While he’ll likely never become a deadly outside threat, if he can get defenders to play closer to him on the perimeter, he’ll be able to generate better spacing for his teammates and create improved driving lanes for himself.

Second is defense. While Payton can dominate defensively in stretches and can create turnovers that lead to transition buckets, he needs to continue to improve in fighting over screens and contesting 3-point shots. If he can develop in those areas of his game, he can become a dangerous weapon for New Orleans.

Pelicans.com: What’s one thing we might be surprised to know about Payton?

Savage:  Just one thing, that’s going to be tough. E.P. has always been one of my favorite guys to work with in the NBA, so I’m going to go with three.

1)      He's always been enamored with Sour Patch Kids and shared his love for the candy publicly. So much so, that Sour Patch Kids has actually sent him a gift on his birthday the last few years.

2)      He’s actively engaged in giving back to the community. Payton was the recipient of the Magic’s 2017 Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award, which goes to the player who’s made the biggest difference in the Central Florida community over the past year.

3)      Payton and I share a love for the New Orleans-based groups, the Hot Boys and the Big Tymers. If he knew I was doing in this interview, he would expect me to mention that.

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Elfrid Payton Q&A with Dan Savage

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has re-signed free agent guard Ian Clark. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Clark, 6-3, 175, appeared in 74 games with New Orleans during the 2017-18 regular season and averaged 7.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. After the All-Star break, Clark averaged 11.0 points while shooting .488 from the field and .368 from three-point range, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game. Clark additionally appeared in nine postseason games, averaging 7.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting .424 from the floor, including .357 from three-point range.

Undrafted out of Belmont University in 2013, Clark has appeared in 270 career regular season games with Utah, Denver, Golden State and New Orleans, holding career averages of 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 13.1 minutes per game. Additionally, Clark has appeared in 41 career postseason contests, averaging 6.0 points while shooting .475 from the field and .354 from three-point range, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 13.7 minutes per game.

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Pelicans re-sign guard Ian Clark

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Elfrid Payton and free agent forward Julius Randle. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Payton, 6-4, 185, played last season with the Orlando Magic (44 games) and Phoenix Suns (19 games), averaging 12.7 points, 6.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 28.7 minutes per contest. In 300 career NBA regular season games with Orlando and Phoenix, Payton has averaged 11.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 29.5 minutes per game.

A native of Gretna, La., Payton starred at John Ehret High School before playing collegiately at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. After a three-year collegiate career where he was a two-time member of the First-Team All-Sun Belt and the 2014 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, Payton was selected 10th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by Philadelphia before being acquired by Orlando in a draft night trade.

Randle, 6-9, 250, had previously spent his entire four-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers after being selected seventh overall in the 2014 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky. This past season, Randle appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Lakers, averaging a career-high 16.1 points on a career-high .558 shooting from the field to go with 8.0 rebounds – including 2.2 on the offensive end –  and 2.6 assists in 26.7 minutes per game.

In 238 career regular season games (182 starts), Randle holds career averages of 13.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27.8 minutes per game.

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Pelicans sign free agents Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle

Timeline: Each summer, the NBA free-agent period begins July 1, but that only applies to the Eastern time zone. Technically, for New Orleans, free agency actually commences this Saturday, June 30, at 11 p.m. Central, when the Pelicans will be allowed to speak to players from other NBA teams who are free agents.

In the recent past, clubs were not allowed to officially sign free agents until after an extended moratorium period, which was sometimes up to 8-10 days. However, partly due to issues created by what was deemed an overly lengthy timeframe – problems such as free agents reneging on informal agreements to sign with a specific team – the NBA decided in 2016 to shrink the moratorium to a tighter window. This summer, the moratorium is from July 1-5, meaning all 30 teams will be able to announce the official signing of players July 6. As a result, that means any press conferences featuring signed or re-signed free agents won’t take place until July 6 at the earliest.

On TV: There will be a multitude of free agent-specific programming on league broadcast partners ESPN/ESPN2 and NBA TV over the next several days, as NBA player movement becomes a primary focus of news reports across all North American sports.

ESPN will tip off its proceedings Friday with a 6 p.m. show (all times listed here are Central) hosted by NBA experts Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, followed Saturday by The Jump’s two-hour “Free Agency Special” at 10:30 p.m. NBA TV’s series of “Free Agent Fever” shows is highlighted by a three-hour late-night special Saturday that begins at 9 p.m. On Sunday, the network will broadcast a marathon, six-hour show discussing and reporting on free agency, starting at 11 a.m.

Free-agent crop: NBA rules prevent Dell Demps and every other front-office executive from even mentioning the names of any free agent under contract with another club through June 30, but there will be 100-plus players available in free agency this weekend. As a group, New Orleans has one of the more prominent collections of free-agent names in the league, a list that includes a pair of four-time NBA All-Stars, DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. Reserve guards Ian Clark and Jordan Crawford are also unrestricted free agents, allowing them to sign with any NBA franchise this offseason.

Positional and team needs: In its recent comprehensive preview of free agency, ESPN.com listed New Orleans as needing help at starting small forward – where 6-foot-4 E’Twaun Moore did a commendable job last season, despite giving up height nearly every night – and multiple bench positions (PG, PF, C). Many NBA teams shrink their rotations during the playoffs, but by the end of a Round 2 defeat vs. Golden State, the Pelicans were using only seven players to log more than a handful of minutes. Additional proven depth could come in handy over the course of the 82-game schedule, as well as in potential postseason matchups against some of the juggernauts of the Western Conference.

New Orleans areas of improvement: The Pelicans finished 2017-18 as a top-10 offensive team (ninth in efficiency) and an above-average defensive squad (13th in efficiency), but they often struggled to rebound (21st in percentage of boards collected, including 28th in offensive-rebound percentage). Although they finished middle-of-the-pack in three-point percentage (13th at 36.2 percent), that was a bit skewed because they were much better before the All-Star break than after it (35.3 percent, ranking just 22nd). With three-point shooting becoming more and more important every season – teams attempted a league-record 29.0 per game in 207-18 – every NBA franchise is looking more perimeter scorers, but the Pelicans would benefit greatly from that, particularly in an offense where five-time All-Star Anthony Davis draws considerable attention from opposing defenses.

The Crescent City sales pitch: On May 10, three-year Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry outlined some of what should make New Orleans attractive to potential free-agent signees by saying, “We’ve got a great town, a city that is second to none. We’ve got the best food on the planet. And we’ve got arguably one of the three best players in the league on our team (in Davis). When you look at the season Jrue (Holiday) had and the level he’s played, what Rondo brought to the table and the level that Cousins was playing when he was here before he got hurt, all the things we’re doing are moving in the right direction. And (we have an owner in) Mrs. (Gayle) Benson, where she’s not going to start anything that she can’t finish.”

Not to mention, there are few NBA cities that boast a better climate during basketball season, with average high temperatures in December, January and February of 65 degrees. The Pelicans also have one of the league’s premier practice facilities, a building that opened in ’13 and is used virtually year-round by some of the team’s developing players.

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2018 New Orleans Pelicans free agency primer

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