NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Pelicans and high-scoring wing player Bennedict Mathurin have agreed on a two-year, $16 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity because the agreement, first reported by ESPN, has not been announced.
The 24-year-old Mathurin was traded from Indiana to the Los Angeles Clippers last season, during which he averaged 17.6 points.
The 6-foot-5, four-year NBA veteran out of Arizona entered the offseason as a restricted free agent with the Clippers, who had to agree to withdraw an earlier $8.8 million qualifying offer for Mathurin’s deal with the Pelicans to go through.
Mathurin has career averages of 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds since being selected sixth overall by Indiana in the 2022 NBA draft.
Mathurin’s deal with New Orleans is the most significant move of this offseason by Pelicans second-year basketball operations chief Joe Dumars, who has opted not to trade the club’s more prominent players since his team finished out of the playoff picture last season with a 26-56 record.
The Pelicans did not have a first-round draft pick this summer, after trading it away in 2025 for the chance to draft Derik Queen 13th overall.
Kuminga in Minnesota
In Minneapolis, the Timberwolves agreed to terms with power forward Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year, $12.4 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not confirmed the agreement. ESPN reported that Kuminga’s contract includes a player option for the second season, which would give the seventh overall pick from the 2021 draft an opportunity to hit the free agent market in a year.
Kuminga will fill an obvious need in the frontcourt for the Timberwolves, who traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid as part of their offseason acquisition of point guard LaMelo Ball.
Kuminga, who will turn 24 on Oct. 6, averaged a career-best 16.1 points during the 2023-24 season for the Golden State Warriors, who drafted the Congo native but never found the right fit for him before ultimately trading him to the Atlanta Hawks in February. Kuminga fell out of favor with Warriors coach Steve Kerr and out of the rotation last season, making his departure an inevitability. He played in only seven of his last 38 games with the Warriors.
He’ll have a fresh start with the hungry Timberwolves, who’ll have the challenge of finding enough shots for Kuminga and fellow forward Jaden McDaniels in a lineup that will revolve around Ball and superstar Anthony Edwards. In 278 NBA games, Kuminga has averaged 12.5 points and 22.1 minutes. He’s a 50.2 percent shooter from the floor.