Pelicans' DeAndre Jordan Blunder Is the Ultimate Proof of Organizational Incompetence

Somehow, the New Orleans Pelicans' only signing this summer just got worse. The front office has found a way to frustrate Pelicans fans, even in the most basic of transactions.

When free agency opened, it was quickly announced that the Pelicans were bringing DeAndre Jordan back. The 37-year-old was a great locker room presence and a veteran mentor last season, so the Pelicans' desire to have him back for another year was understandable.

Many assumed that the deal would be a one-year, veteran minimum deal.

It turns out, this is not the case. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Pelicans signed Jordan to a two-year, fully guaranteed deal for $7.9 million.

Pelicans' Decision to Give DeAndre Jordan a Two-Year Deal Is Baffling

On paper, this may seem like a harmless, two-year contract for the minimum for a beloved team leader. In reality, it is the perfect example of the Pelicans' frustrating incompetence.

As many NBA watchers and Pelicans fans, including Shamit Dua, noted on social media, this is a blunder by the Pelicans organization.

The NBA reimburses teams when they sign a veteran of 10+ seasons of experience to a minimum contract. Since an experienced veteran's minimum salary is nearly three times that of a rookie making the minimum, the league doesn't want this to disincentivize teams from signing older players. So, they pay a portion of the player's contract, as long as it's a one-year deal.

This lowers the team's cap hit as the veteran player's cost to the team becomes equivalent to the minimum salary of a younger player.

By signing Jordan to a two-year deal instead of one, the Pelicans are essentially turning down free money from the league. It means that they will be on the hook for the full $7.9 million of DJ's salary for the next two seasons.

If they had signed him to a one-year veteran minimum deal, say as the Lakers did with Kevon Looney, the Pelicans would have been on the hook for only $2.45 million for next season. Instead, the Pelicans will have a $3.88 million cap hit for Jordan, as well as an additional guaranteed year.

It is baffling that the Pelicans added a second season for a soon-to-be 38-year-old center who played 12 games for them last season. Was DJ really a flight risk? Was there really a chance he would have turned down a one-year, minimum deal? Why wouldn't the Pelicans just tell him to take this one-year deal and promise him to sign him to another one next summer?

It's not like New Orleans has a ton of resources and flexibility. They are now $8.2 million under the luxury tax with one roster spot available. For a team that has never paid the tax, the Pelicans are way too careless with the contracts they take on. This limits their ability to pivot and set themselves up for the future. This contract to Jordan is just the latest example of why the Pelicans haven't been able to build a sustainable winner with this ownership.

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