DeAndre Jordan Is Back in New Orleans for His Impact Off the Court

NBA free agency officially opened on Tuesday, and the New Orleans Pelicans made a quick move to re-sign veteran center DeAndre Jordan, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who was first to report the news of the re-signing. On the surface, bringing back the 37-year-old center would seem like a confusing move given the fact that he played in just 12 games last season. New Orleans clearly needs productive frontcourt help, but the 18-year veteran can’t provide that next season.

What he will provide instead is locker room leadership to a core that was one of the youngest teams in the league last season. Jordan was named the 2026 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award winner this past season, and for good reason.

Pelicans' Bringing Back DeAndre Jordan for Leadership Makes a Lot of Sense

Young players like Derik Queen, Micah Peavy, and Jeremiah Fears sing his praises for his approach to the game, professionalism, and leadership ability.

Queen told reporters after a regular-season game how much he appreciates the veteran center’s presence in the locker room. “He’s going to be a Hall of Famer,” Queen said. “So him just dropping gems on me and teaching me a lot means a lot. It’s good having him in my corner, because I want to get to where he is.”

What Jordan has been in this league is an All-Star, an All-NBA defender, and an NBA champion. The Pelicans don’t have many players with significant accolades in this league, so having Jordan as a living embodiment of that should motivate the young group to aspire to something.

The Pelicans still have work to do in order to become a respectable team in the Western Conference. New Orleans is coming off back-to-back sub-30-win seasons and has yet to make any significant changes to the roster. Shooting and size remain paramount needs for the Pelicans, but the team is devoid of any meaningful salary cap space to address them. Reports are that Jordan’s contract is a one-year, guaranteed league-minimum deal.

New Orleans declined the team option for veteran center Kevon Looney earlier in the week, saving the team approximately $8 million in cap space. They did pick up the team option for forward Karlo Matkovic, leaving the Pelicans a little above $9 million under the luxury tax.

A move is expected to be made to try to trade either Dejounte Murray or Jordan Poole, who both are scheduled to make more than $30 million apiece this upcoming season. The Pelicans hope to use one of those players in the trade market to upgrade the center position.

Jordan is in the twilight of his career, so whatever production he gives on the court pales in comparison to his impact off of it. He’s only played more than 40 games once in his last five seasons, and he will likely suit up in a handful of games again next season in New Orleans. Jordan understands his place on this team is not to be the defensive anchor he was in the league 10 years ago, but a mentor to the young core.

“It means I’m near the end of my career,” Jordan said during the regular season. “I’m at peace with that. As a competitor, you want to always get better, and you want to have an impact and imprint on the game.”

“So if my imprint on the game is being a locker room presence, being able to play every other couple of games and have an impact coaching guys on the floor, I’m still bringing something to the game.” Jordan will bring something to the NBA, specifically the Pelicans, for at least one more season.

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