Bennedict Mathurin Pelicans trade rumors and New Orleans roster fit analysis

New Orleans Pelicans News

Pelicans Seriously Linked to Bennedict Mathurin: What a Deal Would Cost New Orleans

by
Gee Bino
2026-08-26

The New Orleans Pelicans are not merely being mentioned in another manufactured offseason rumor.

Multiple NBA reporters have connected New Orleans to Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin, and the situation remains unresolved deep into August. The latest reporting has narrowed Mathurin’s most realistic paths to a sign-and-trade to New Orleans or a return to Los Angeles on his approximately $8.8 million qualifying offer.

That makes the Pelicans’ interest credible—but it does not make a deal complete.

New Orleans has not acquired Mathurin, Jordan Hawkins has not been traded, and no final sign-and-trade package has been publicly confirmed. The front office still has to solve the contract math, agree on compensation with the Clippers and decide how much it should sacrifice for a talented but imperfect 24-year-old scorer.

Here is what has been reported, how Mathurin would fit, what a deal could cost and whether the Pelicans should finish it.

What Is Confirmed—and What Is Still a Rumor?

Confirmed

Mathurin is a restricted free agent after the Clippers extended a qualifying offer worth approximately $8.8 million.
New Orleans has shown sustained interest and has had dialogue involving Mathurin’s situation.
Los Angeles can match an offer sheet because it retained Mathurin’s restricted free-agent rights.
The Clippers have not ruled out participating in a sign-and-trade.
Mathurin averaged a career-high 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 54 games between Indiana and Los Angeles last season.
The Pelicans have explored the trade market for Jordan Hawkins, with Memphis reported as one of the teams involved in discussions.

Not Confirmed

No agreement between Mathurin and the Pelicans has been announced.
No completed Pelicans-Clippers sign-and-trade has been reported.
Hawkins has not officially been moved.
A reported Hawkins discussion involving Memphis guard AJ Johnson has not become a finalized transaction.
There is no confirmed price showing that New Orleans must surrender a first-round pick or multiple second-round picks.

That distinction matters. The Pelicans are a serious suitor, but every proposed package circulating online should be treated as speculation until the teams or a top NBA transaction reporter confirms the terms.

Why the Pelicans Want Bennedict Mathurin

New Orleans finished 26–56 last season and went 12–30 in clutch games. That record exposed a roster that could produce talent in stretches but too often lacked organization and a dependable late-clock scorer.

New head coach Jamahl Mosley was hired to build a stronger defensive identity and improve the team’s young core. However, coaching alone will not solve every offensive problem. The Pelicans still need players who can create an advantage when the initial action breaks down.

Mathurin’s best NBA skill is direct scoring pressure.

He attacks the rim, seeks contact and can manufacture points without needing a perfect play call. His 17.6-point average came with a 43 percent field-goal rate, a 31.5 percent mark from three and an 86.9 percent free-throw rate. He is not an elite all-around offensive player, but he has already shown he can carry possessions and score against set defenses.

That skill becomes valuable for a Pelicans team whose established stars have dealt with injuries and whose young guards are still developing.

The Player Profile: What Mathurin Does Well

He Creates Rim Pressure

Mathurin is at his best when he attacks downhill. He has the strength to absorb contact, the burst to beat a defender’s hip and the confidence to challenge help defenders.

New Orleans needs that type of aggression. Trey Murphy III is the superior floor spacer, Zion Williamson remains the team’s most powerful interior force, and Dejounte Murray can organize offense when healthy. Mathurin would give Mosley another player capable of forcing a defense to collapse.

He Can Generate His Own Shot

The Pelicans’ 12 clutch wins last season tied for the third-fewest in the NBA. Every one of those close games did not come down to one scorer, but the larger problem was obvious: New Orleans struggled to create reliable offense when possessions became slow and predictable.

Mathurin can attack a mismatch, get to a pull-up or earn free throws. He may not become the primary closer, but he can prevent the offense from becoming completely dependent on Zion or Murphy.

He Has Accepted a Bench Scoring Role

Mathurin has experience as both a starter and a high-usage reserve. That flexibility gives Mosley options. The Pelicans can use him as a starting guard in a bigger lineup or let him anchor the second unit and close only when his scoring is needed.

His playoff experience with Indiana also matters. He produced a 27-point performance in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals and has played meaningful possessions under postseason pressure.

The Concerns New Orleans Cannot Ignore

The Shooting Fit Is Uneasy

Mathurin made 31.5 percent of his threes last season and is a 33.6 percent career shooter from deep. Defenses will not treat him like Murphy.

That creates a genuine spacing concern alongside Zion, Herb Jones, Derik Queen or other non-elite perimeter shooters. If New Orleans plays too many paint-oriented players at once, Mathurin’s driving lanes can disappear and the offense can become crowded.

The Pelicans should not acquire him while pretending he solves their shooting problem. He would add scoring force, not elite spacing.

His Decision-Making Must Improve

Mathurin can become too determined to finish a possession himself. His aggressive style sometimes turns into tunnel vision, difficult attempts and missed passing windows.

Mosley would need to define his role clearly: attack a tilted defense, move the ball when the second defender arrives and avoid turning every bench possession into isolation basketball.

The Defense Has Not Matched the Tools

At 6-foot-6 with strength and athletic ability, Mathurin has the physical profile to defend multiple perimeter positions. His consistency, off-ball recognition and discipline have not always reached that level.

Mosley’s reputation for player development and defense is one reason the fit could work. It is also why New Orleans should demand defensive progress if it gives Mathurin a multiyear contract.

Where Would Mathurin Fit in the Rotation?

The Pelicans’ current wing and guard group includes Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Dejounte Murray, Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Hawkins. Zion Williamson, Derik Queen and Yves Missi shape the frontcourt.

Mathurin would not arrive as the automatic best player in that group. His role should be determined by lineup balance.

Option 1: Starting Scoring Guard

In a lineup with Murray, Murphy, Zion and a defensive center, Mathurin could serve as a secondary attacker. Murray would handle much of the organization, Murphy would provide spacing and Mathurin could punish closeouts.

The problem is defense. If Mathurin does not defend consistently, Mosley may prefer Jones in the starting unit.

Option 2: Sixth Man and Second-Unit Engine

This is the cleaner initial role.

Mathurin could enter as the first perimeter scorer, play with Fears or Murray as the organizer and receive enough touches to attack. He could still close games when his scoring is more valuable than the alternatives.

That would also reduce the pressure to force him into lineups that lack sufficient shooting or defense.

The Best Answer: A Flexible 28-Minute Weapon

New Orleans should not obsess over whether Mathurin is announced as a starter. The goal should be to build combinations that maximize his pressure while surrounding him with shooting and defense.

If he averages roughly 28 productive minutes, carries bench units and closes selected games, the acquisition can work without changing the hierarchy around Murphy, Zion and Jones.

How Can the Pelicans Acquire Him?

The Pelicans cannot simply treat Mathurin like an unrestricted free agent and sign him without consequences. The Clippers control his restricted rights, and New Orleans is operating close enough to key tax and apron lines that every dollar matters.

Two broad routes have been discussed.

1. Create Room for an Offer Sheet

New Orleans could move salary, remain below the applicable team-building limits and use a larger exception to present Mathurin with an offer sheet. A starting salary near the projected non-taxpayer midlevel exception—approximately $15 million—would exceed his qualifying offer and force Los Angeles to decide whether to match.

This path is difficult because clearing salary could cost New Orleans assets before it even knows whether the Clippers will match.

2. Complete a Sign-and-Trade

A sign-and-trade allows Mathurin to sign a new contract with Los Angeles and be immediately traded to New Orleans. The teams would have to agree on outgoing salary, compensation and all collective-bargaining restrictions.

This is the more controllable route because the Pelicans would know they are receiving Mathurin before paying the transaction cost. It also gives the Clippers a reason to cooperate instead of losing him for nothing.

The problem is leverage. Los Angeles does not have to help New Orleans, and multiple interested teams can raise the price.

Is Jordan Hawkins the Player Most Likely to Move?

Hawkins is the name most consistently connected to the Pelicans’ effort to create financial room.

His approximately $7 million salary is large enough to matter, and the former first-round pick still carries value as a movement shooter. Reports have linked Memphis to Hawkins trade talks and identified AJ Johnson as one player discussed.

That does not mean Hawkins is already out.

New Orleans should evaluate the full cost. If moving Hawkins requires the Pelicans to attach valuable draft compensation and then surrender more assets in the Mathurin sign-and-trade, the front office could end up paying twice for one addition.

Hawkins for a modest return can be reasonable if Mosley and the front office have decided his role will remain limited. Hawkins plus premium draft capital simply to create room for another imperfect wing would be poor asset management.

What Should New Orleans Be Willing to Pay?

The Pelicans should establish firm limits.

A Responsible Price

A Mathurin contract beginning around the non-taxpayer midlevel range
Hawkins or another non-core rotation salary
Limited second-round compensation, if necessary
No unprotected first-round pick
No Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Zion Williamson or premium young-core piece

A Price That Should End the Talks

A first-round pick simply for the Clippers’ sign-and-trade cooperation
Herb Jones in a one-for-one structure
A large long-term contract based only on scoring average
Multiple layers of draft compensation to dump Hawkins and then acquire Mathurin

Mathurin is a good young scorer with upside. He is not a franchise-changing star, and the Pelicans cannot pay as if he is one.

Gee Bino’s Verdict: Make the Deal—but Only at the Right Price

Recommendation: Pursue Mathurin if the total cost is Hawkins, manageable salary structure and modest second-round value. Walk away if Los Angeles demands a first-round pick or a core player.

The basketball argument is legitimate. Mathurin would give New Orleans another attacker, a credible bench scorer and a 24-year-old player who could still improve under Mosley. His ability to reach the foul line and create late-clock offense addresses a real need.

The fit is not seamless. His three-point shooting, defense and decision-making can magnify weaknesses already on the roster. The Pelicans would have to build his lineups deliberately and avoid presenting him as the answer to every offensive problem.

The financial argument must decide the transaction.

If New Orleans can convert Hawkins’ uncertain role into Mathurin on a reasonable contract without touching a first-round pick, the upside justifies the move. If the deal requires premium draft capital, multiple salary dumps or one of the Pelicans’ top defenders, the front office should let Mathurin take the qualifying offer and revisit the market later.

The Pelicans are seriously involved. Now they have to prove they can be disciplined.

Author Bio

Gee Bino is a senior sports writer and columnist for The Who Dat Daily, covering the New Orleans Saints, Pelicans, LSU athletics, Tulane football, boxing and the Gulf South sports landscape. He specializes in breaking news, roster analysis, player development and straightforward commentary.