The New Orleans Pelicans' pursuit of Los Angeles Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin runs far deeper than just his offseason.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been one of the teams closely tied to the market for Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent guard Bennedict Mathurin. While Mathurin is a free agent, it seems to be trending towards a sign-and-trade.
Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype had an intel drop on Friday that included some fun extra information on their pursuit of him and how serious it is. Sotto cleared up that the Pelicans had actually tried to acquire Mathurin at last year's trade deadline from the Indiana Pacers.
It's interesting to think about what New Orleans could have been offering at that time, as the Pacers ended up in a big deal. Indiana sent him, Isaiah Jackson, two firsts and a second to the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.
At the very least, it at least shows that Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver are legitimately interested. When they hold such a fixation on a player, like Derik Queen, they tend to do what they can to land them.
It isn't hard to understand wh
The Pelicans do also need to pay attention to the full breadth of their competition for Mathurin. Being able to take a flier on a "prove-it" deal is one thing, but a bidding war could start to make things too expensive. Scotto expanded the market from just New Orleans and the Chicago Bulls to also include the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks, who have "expressed sign-and-trade interest."
It appears that the Pelicans are trying to find a way to get Mathurin while also trying to get below the luxury tax threshold. Scotto reported that New Orleans is trying to move Jordan Hawkins' contract to make up the current money gap. They had accepted his just over $7 million option before last year and now regret it as he isn't in their plans.
The closest trade partner that they have is the Memphis Grizzlies, who they have been connected to a couple of times already. Scotto floated AJ Johnson as a return from the Grizzlies, which would be a win-win.
Running with guard depth of Mathurin and Johnson certainly sounds more appealing than Hawkins and Jordan Poole, given how last season went for both. Johnson was a first-round pick back in 2024 and has already bounced around a couple of times. He's still just 21 but has been a highly-touted talent since high school. He could be worth taking a chance on.
