The New Orleans Pelicans have finally done it, officially signing guard Bennedict Mathurin.
This week's trade of Jordan Hawkins allowed the New Orleans Pelicans to finally pull off a long-awaited move, as they have officially signed guard Bennedict Mathurin, per the league's transaction wire (H/T Marc Stein).
This should clear up the rival reports that the Pelicans were still awaiting the Los Angeles Clippers to rescind the qualifying offer and allow New Orleans to add the guard. It would have been brutal to have to attach even more assets to a sign-and-trade with the Clippers, so this is the best-case scenario for Joe Dumars and Pelicans leadership.
New Orleans has long wanted to get the former Los Angeles guard to be part of their rotation. Their offense was more than lacking last year. Now, with Mathurin coming off the bench, they will need him to provide more production than they got from players like Hawkins last season.
Mathurin posted 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per night on 43.0/31.5/86.9 shooting splits last year. He actually shot the three-ball well to begin the season, 37.2% on 5.6 attempts per game, but that dropped drastically after going to the Clippers.
This will be a bit of an audition for Mathurin, as he has a player option for next season, so he will ideally be a free agent again. If things go well, the Pelicans could certainly give him a longer-term deal. They are enamored with the potential of the wing and view him as a potential cornerstone piece along with Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears.
