After the The New Orleans Pelicans made an aggressive move to acquire Dejounte Murray this summer in a blockbuster deal with the Atlanta HawksThere was a glaring hole in their roster as they lost one of their big men in free agency and two others in this trade.
Management has partially solved the problem by signing veteran Daniel Theis to fill the starting role. He will be supported by two rookies, Yves Missi of Baylor, who was their first-round draft pick this year, and Karlo Matkovic, who is join the Pelicans for the first time after being selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft from Croatia.
Given that it’s not exactly a frontcourt that screams contender, speculation has started to grow that New Orleans would look to move star Brandon Ingram to get a starting-caliber center.
But nothing came of it.
It seems more likely that the All-Star will be on that roster for the start of the season and the Pelicans will actually employ more of a small-ball-type lineup as their president of basketball operations David Griffin hinted at over the summer.
However, New Orleans made another move, but it wasn’t the one many expected.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania,They signed veteran winger Javonte Green to a one-year contract.
The 6-foot-5 forward spent last season with the The Chicago Bulls after spending time with the Golden State Warriors” G League affiliation. This was his second stint with the Bulls, initially joining them in a three-team trade in 2021 after being shipped out by the Boston Celtics in a deal that also involved his new teammate Theis.
Green played just 16 games for Chicago to finish that season, but he appeared in 65 games the following year, averaging 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
Unfortunately, he was limited to 32 games the following season and was eventually released on the open market.
While Green joined the Bulls late last year, playing just nine games after signing a 10-day contract, he managed to average 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.6 minutes.
It’s not a game-changer, but the Pelicans clearly felt that adding another veteran wing to this roster would be beneficial, especially if they’re unable to move Ingram and have to use their forwards in smaller lineups more often.
