Pelicans Forward Is Now On Thin Ice After the Trendon Watford Signing

The New Orleans Pelicans rounded out their 15-man roster after signing versatile forward Trendon Watford this week. His arrival means an undersized but crowded power forward position in New Orleans, which puts one player on thin ice this season: Karlo Matković.

New Orleans picked up the team option on the former second-round pick this summer after the 6-foot-10 forward appeared in a career-high 62 games last year. Matković is an originally drafted and stashed prospect, selected with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He spent two seasons in Europe before joining the Pelicans in 2024.

The Croatian forward is a high-energy effort guy who flashes promise offensively with his rim-running ability and occasional outside shot threat.

Watford operates almost exclusively in the paint, with about 75% of his shots last season coming from within 10 feet of the basket. One of his best attributes is putting the ball on the floor, getting a floater off, or finding an open shooter as a connective passer. He averaged about 2.6 assists per game over the last two years, adding an element as a big that neither Matković nor Yves Missi consistently possesses in their arsenal.

Both Matković and Watford are the same age, but Watford has played in twice as many NBA games and started four times as many as Matković.

Watford provides a similar style of play to Zion Williamson and Derik Queen. He isn’t nearly as skilled as those players, but his playmaking ability provides some continuity in the offense if either of those players goes down with an injury.

Queen impressively played 81 games in his rookie season, and while Williamson played the second-most games of his career last year, he historically hasn’t held up in most seasons.

Saddiq Bey's emergence last season was also crucial, allowing the Pelicans to be flexible in small-ball lineups late in games.

THIS MAN KARLO IS ON ONE 🔨🔨🔨 pic.twitter.com/lqHA0sGOMQ
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 5, 2025

Karlo Matkovic May Have to Prove Himself to Jamahl Mosley

Without the Pelicans signing a true starting-caliber center this offseason, they'll likely play smaller and faster on offense. That plays well with Watford's skill set as a ball-handler in the offense. The logjam that creates with him, Bey, Williamson, and Queen could leave Matković as the odd man out when you consider that Missi will also get playing time.

That approach differs from how new head coach Jamahl Mosley ran his Orlando Magic team last season, as he had a 6-foot-10 center in Wendell Carter Jr. and a 6-foot-10 Paolo Banchero manning the frontcourt. The Pelicans figure to have both Williamson and Queen play the majority of minutes in the frontcourt, which would be a change for Mosley and his staff.

Both Matković and Watford are on one-year deals, so this season is an audition of sorts for both. If coach Mosley opts for offensive connectivity and playmaking alongside second-unit scorers, Watford is built to claim those minutes. For Matković, training camp will now be an active competition to prove his rim running and energy outweigh the versatility Watford brings to the floor.

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