Pelicans Transactions: Sign Two Players, Waive Butler and Petty Jr.
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed forward Kelan Martin and guard Javonte Smart. In a related move, the Pelicans have waived two-way forward John Butler and guard John Petty Jr. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Martin, 6-5, 230, has appeared in 96 NBA games since 2019 with Minnesota, Indiana and Boston, holding averages of 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists. Martin appeared in 30 games (one start) last season with Boston and Indiana, averaging 5.7 points, 0.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per contest. Martin played collegiately at Butler, where he averaged 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists across four seasons.
Smart, 6-4, 205, appeared in 17 games with Milwaukee and Miami during the 2021-22 season, averaging 3.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Undrafted in 2021, the Baton Rouge native played three seasons at LSU where he averaged 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 93 games.
Butler, 7-2, 174, played one collegiate season at Florida State (2021-22), where he averaged 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 31 games. In the 2022 NBA 2K Summer League, Butler appeared in four games (two starts) for the Pelicans, averaging 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 12-of-16 (.750) from the floor and 6-of-9 (.667) from three-point range. Butler appeared in one game with the Pelicans in the 2022 preseason, tallying one rebound, one assist and three blocks.
Petty Jr., 6-5, 184, appeared in 31 games for the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, in 2021-22 in which he averaged 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.2 minutes per game. Petty appeared in two games with the Pelicans in the 2022 preseason, averaging 1.0 rebound, 0.5 assists and 0.5 steals.
New Orleans’ roster now stands at 20 players, including one two-way player.
