Grading the Pelicans' Bennedict Mathurin Signing

The New Orleans Pelicans finally made their big offseason move. On Wednesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans were signing the 24-year-old swingman to a two-year, $16 million contract. The deal includes a player option for the second season.

This move has been in the works dating back to last season. The Pelicans have long coveted Mathurin and were engaged in trade discussions with the Indiana Pacers at the deadline. Those talks were centered around Yves Missi, but the Pacers eventually sent Mathurin to the LA Clippers in the Ivica Zubac trade.

When free agency opened, the Pelicans revisited this idea. Motivated to bring Mathurin to New Orleans, the Pelicans took advantage of the fact that the Clippers drafted Keaton Wagler, traded for Max Strus, and re-signed Bradley Beal. There was simply no room for Mathurin in the rotation. At this stage in the offseason, there wasn't much cap space left elsewhere, either, drying up Mathurin's market.

The problem was that, because Mathurin was a restricted free agent, the Pelicans needed the Clippers to cooperate. LA had the right to match any offer sheets for Mathurin. That's why many assumed that a sign-and-trade had to be the way to get Mathurin to New Orleans.

It turns out that Mathurin's reps got the Clippers to withdraw their $8.8 million qualifying offer. This meant that Mathurin could sign with the Pelicans on a short-term deal and hit unrestricted free agency next season. The player option for the 2027-28 season gives him additional security, which was likely a big reason why Mathurin wanted to take this deal.

The fact that the Pelicans didn't have to give up anything of value to acquire Mathurin is good work. $8 million per year for Mathurin is also a very team-friendly deal.

The Pelicans also manage to stay under the luxury tax with this deal. This means that they don't have to make a salary-dump trade and lose assets to clear money off their books.

The issue with the deal is that it gives little upside to the Pelicans. If Mathurin exceeds expectations and plays well, he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Then the Pelicans will have to give him a fair market value deal. If he plays poorly or suffers an injury, he will end up taking the player option, which means that the Pelicans will have negative salary on their books.

Mathurin's On-Court Fit

The on-court fit isn't ideal, either. The Pelicans needed more shooting and defense. Mathurin fills neither of these needs.

Mathurin is a below-average shooter, hitting less than 33% of his threes over the last two years. He doesn't space the floor at all. He also doesn't bring any passing or playmaking. He is a score-first perimeter player, a player type the Pelicans didn't need much.

The former Clipper has also been an underwhelming defensive player throughout his career. He has physical and athletic tools, but he hasn't used those tools to be an impactful defender in the league. There is a reason he has been mostly utilized as a backup in both of his stops.

For a team that already has Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole in the backcourt, adding another defensive liability like Mathurin into the mix is certainly questionable.

What Mathurin offers is scoring. He gets to the rim at will, lives at the free-throw line, and can put points on the board.

Final Grade

In terms of value, this is not a bad deal. It's difficult to see the Pelicans regretting this decision. They could even flip him at the trade deadline and get a positive return.

However, it's also hard to see a ton of upside here. Can Mathurin really shine on a team that doesn't have the personnel to cover up his weaknesses? With such limited spacing around him, can Mathurin thrive as an offensive player?

If he does, then the Pelicans will struggle to retain him in free agency next summer without having to overpay.

Grade: B-

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