New Orleans

Pelicans

Reese was productive last year for the Wizards after going undrafted, but he was traded to Denver, who waived him immediately after, in August to help facilitate that Peyton Watson trade. Reese will now get a chance in New Orleans, though he likely won’t see the minutes he saw late last season in Washington.

After missing the entire 2024-25 season recovering from a torn ACL, Bey had the most productive season of his NBA career to date. Starting 64 of the 72 games he played, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.1 three-pointers while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 84.1 percent from the foul line. Injuries to other wings freed up additional opportunities for Bey last season, but the contract extension shows he has clearly locked down a key role.

Acquired from the Grizzlies on Tuesday, Gibson appeared in 10 games last season after joining the team in late February. His contract for the 2026-27 season was not guaranteed, so New Orleans unsurprisingly prioritized salary cap flexibility. Once he clears waivers, the 41-year-old Gibson will be an unrestricted free agent.

Tuesday’s reported trade was all about the Pelicans freeing up cap space, allowing the team to make Bennedict Mathurin’s signing official. Gibson, who was not on an NBA team at the start of last season, agreed to a deal with the Grizzlies in late February and appeared in 10 games. While a positive voice within the locker room, Gibson has not been a factor in fantasy basketball for quite some time. It’s also unknown whether he’ll be on the Pelicans’ roster when the season begins.

Selected 23rd overall in the 2024 draft, Johnson has bounced around in his two NBA seasons. After splitting his rookie campaign between Milwaukee and Washington, he appeared in 48 games for the Wizards and Mavericks in 2025-26, averaging 3.3 points in 9.5 minutes. This is the second time this offseason that Johnson has been traded, with the Mavericks sending him to Memphis as part of a deal headlined by Santi Aldama. New Orleans likely executed Tuesday’s reported transaction to free up the space needed to make Bennedict Mathurin’s signing official. As a result, fantasy managers should not expect Johnson to become a factor next season.

According to Shams, the Pels asked the Clippers to withdraw their qualifying offer on the restricted free agent so that they could get the deal done. Mathurin’s deal includes a player option that will give him the chance to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer. He should play a significant role for New Orleans, though the competition for minutes will be fiercer than it was in LA.

Like Detroit’s Jalen Duren, Mathurin’s status as a restricted free agent has made the task of landing a contract a challenging one. Few teams have the cap space to make the former lottery pick an attractive offer, and the Clippers also have to factor in the Kawhi Leonard trade, which the Raptors paused while the NBA investigates his contract. According to Fischer, the Pelicans remain interested in adding Mathurin via sign-and-trade. However, with more players becoming trade-eligible in September, that may have to wait. Another option for Mathurin is to accept the Clippers’ qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Houstan spent his first three seasons with the Magic before joining the Hawks on a two-way deal in October. Atlanta would convert him to a standard contract before waiving Houstan in early April. He appeared in 18 NBA games for the Hawks, averaging 2.3 points per game. Houstan will compete for the Pelicans’ final standard roster spot, as his contract is not guaranteed. Kobe Bufkin and Christian Koloko will be in the Pelicans’ camp on similar deals.

After an impressive showing for the Pelicans during the Summer League in Las Vegas, Bufkin has been rewarded with a one-year contract. The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin has appeared in just 43 NBA games over three seasons. He appeared in 16 games for the Lakers in 2025-26, averaging 2.9 points and 0.8 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per game. With Jeremiah Fears and Dejounte Murray on the roster, Bufkin is unlikely to offer much fantasy value next season.

Selected by the Pelicans with the 58th overall pick in last month’s draft, Pierre averaged 10.0 points per game in three appearances in Las Vegas. While he didn’t shoot the ball well, making just 27 percent from the field, the rookie wing is coming off a senior season at SMU in which he averaged 17.6 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field. New Orleans now has one available two-way slot, with Hunter Dickinson already under contract.