Veteran big man DeAndre Jordan arrives to bolster the injury-plagued Pelicans' frontcourt, bringing experience and championship pedigree.
The New Orleans Pelicans have found someone to supplement their weakness in the frontcourt with veteran center DeAndre Jordan.
With Yves Missi, Kevon Looney and Karlo Matkovic all dealing with injuries right now, finding another big man was crucial. Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs coming to town only sped up the process.
A move for a center was expected as soon as the Pelicans waived Jaden Springer on Thursday. With a limited group of players on the market, Jordan makes sense for a couple of levels.
The 37-year-old has been in the NBA since 2008. This will be his eighth team in the league. He knows the game well and should be able to pick up and play a couple of minutes on Friday night, just a few hours after being signed.
That experience could keep him on the roster even after some of the other bigs come back, just as someone who will be able to offer leadership to a very young team.
He will be the oldest player on the roster by a full eight years. He is also someone else with championship experience and is, by all accounts, an excellent teammate.
In his prime, Jordan was one of the best defensive players in the league and was an All-NBA player. He is obviously not the same player, but should provide some better minutes than what New Orleans got out of Hunter Dickinson in their opener.
The Texas native has spent the last few years with the Denver Nuggets, where he won his first ring. He averaged 4.2 points and 4.9 rebounds on 68.1% shooting in 12.8 minutes per night with the Nuggets.