Bennedict Mathurin Signs With Pelicans on 2-Year, $16 Million Deal

The New Orleans Pelicans and Bennedict Mathurin have agreed on a two-year, $16 million contract in free agency, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a player option on the second season, giving the young guard the flexibility to hit the market again as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

How Mathurin Secured His Freedom From Los Angeles

Mathurin entered this transaction window as a restricted free agent belonging to the Los Angeles Clippers. According to Shams Charania, Mathurin’s representatives actively negotiated with the Clippers to withdraw his $8.8 million qualifying offer. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel confirmed that the team initiated the process of pulling that qualifying offer to transition Mathurin into an unrestricted free agent.

That procedural hurdle cleared the path for Mathurin to sign directly with New Orleans on the open market. The Clippers faced a mounting roster crunch following multiple roster adjustments. Los Angeles acquired Max Strus via the Peyton Watson trade and kept a potential Kawhi Leonard trade pipeline active, leaving little structural room for Mathurin’s return.

Inside the Numbers of Mathurin’s LA Stint

The Clippers originally acquired Mathurin from the Indiana Pacers as part of the Ivica Zubac trade last season. During his brief 26-game stint in Los Angeles, predominantly coming off the bench, Mathurin proved his offensive capability.

Bennedict Mathurin Signs With Pelicans on 2-Year, $16 Million Deal — Photo: trashtalk.co

TrashTalk corroborated his production off the bench, noting that the 24-year-old Canadian guard wanted a platform where he could log heavy minutes and elevate his stock for a lucrative long-term payday.

Roster Dynamics and Financial Flexibility in New Orleans

Executive vice president Joe Dumars recently defended a relatively quiet offseason for the Pelicans, which included adding backup forward Trendon Watford on a one-year, $2.9 million deal.

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported earlier in the week that New Orleans acted as the primary and most aggressive suitor on the restricted free agent market for Mathurin. However, securing Mathurin leaves the Pelicans navigating tight roster constraints. New Orleans currently carries 15 players under contract and sits roughly $5.8 million beneath the luxury tax line. Analysts like Siegel and Fischer have noted that supplementary roster moves, such as potential trade discussions involving Jordan Hawkins, remain plausible to preserve financial flexibility.