The New Orleans Pelicans have made their decisions on their two big team options ahead of free agency.
The New Orleans Pelicans had to make decisions on two team options ahead of free agency beginning in just a couple of days, and have landed on the expected outcome for both players.
It was shared a few days ago that the Pelicans would exercise big man Karlo Matkovic's $2.23 million third-year team option. Then, on Saturday night, NBA insider Chris Haynes broke the news that New Orleans would be declining the $8 million team option on Kevon Looney.
Both of these were the likeliest outcomes when looking at the limited resources available to the Pelicans heading into the offseason.
Looney signed a two-year, $16 million deal last year, with the second year being this option. They had hoped that we would provide some of the grit their front court needed while also serving as a veteran presence. While the former Golden State Warrior certainly added the latter, he didn't really end up factoring much into their plans.
The 30-year-old posted 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 41.7/15.4/70.0 shooting splits across 14.7 minutes per game and 21 appearances. That level of production certainly doesn't warrant $8 million, given how limited the team's resources already are.
That isn't to say that Looney wouldn't be valuable for someone around the league. He was always ready to play despite going long stretches between appearances, was a good presence in the locker room and never (at least publicly) complained. There are a few teams around the league who could use someone to come in and bully the offensive boards for a little bit now and then.
Matkovic was also an easy pick-up. He is a valuable rotation piece on this roster and will only make $2.23 million. With how few resources New Orleans has this offseason, they literally can't afford to let a deal like that pass them by.
The 25-year-old's production went down in his second year in the league, but he was better overall. There is still room to grow for him, still early in his career. It'll be interesting to see what this new coaching staff is able to get out of him.
Even if he doesn't improve much more, he is still an ultra-athletic big man who can shoot the three-ball at a solid enough rate that it actually forces defenses to pay attention to him. He has become a bit of a fan favorite thanks to his high-flying dunks, so it'll be nice to see him stick around.
