Pelicans Announce New Player Signing Before Lakers Game

The New Orleans Pelicans made a late-season roster move before facing the Los Angeles Lakers

Mar 24, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green reacts to a play against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans made a roster move before their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. New Orleans announced the signing of center Kylor Kelley to a 10-day contract. The former Oregon State defensive standout played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season, starting one game and appearing in eight total.

Kelley appeared in 32 G League with the Lakers affiliate South Bay Lakers. He averaged 11.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. The 7-foot center led the G League in blocks last season and was named to the league's All-Defensive team. Kelley will remain on the team for the rest of the season.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed center Kylor Kelley to a 10-day contracthttps://t.co/kW2zlceLa9

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 3, 2025

The Pelicans' roster now stands at 19, with plenty of new faces since the season began. New Orleans has suffered season-ending injuries to Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Dejounte Murray. New Orleans has long since been out of the playoff race and currently has the second-worst record in the Western Conference.

The team hoped pairing former all-star Dejounte Murray with Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram would build upon the team's 49-win season last night. Instead, the group never played a single game together after injuries to all four players occurred at different parts of the season.

DON'T JUMP WITH ZION WILLIAMSON. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IhU4wqww9h

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 18, 2025

Ingram was then traded to the Toronto Raptors before the deadline, and now the Pelicans must prepare for the future with Williamson as the team's main focus. Zion again suffered multiple injuries this year and played in just 30 games after playing a career-high 70 games last year.

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