Bennedict Mathurin reportedly lands 2-year, $16M Pelicans deal
Restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The deal includes a player option and would move the 24-year-old wing from the Clippers after he was traded from Indiana last season.
The agreement, detailed by Charania and reported by Yahoo Sports, lands one of the NBA's last unsigned restricted free agents. Mathurin's representatives had approached Los Angeles about withdrawing his $8.8 million qualifying offer as he eyed flexibility and the earliest path to unrestricted free agency next summer.
Key Takeaways
- Bennedict Mathurin reportedly agreed to a two-year, $16 million Pelicans deal with a player option.
- His camp sought to withdraw an $8.8 million Clippers qualifying offer while prioritizing free-agency flexibility.
- Career averages sit at 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.6 minutes per game.
- Earlier reporting framed New Orleans as his primary suitor versus accepting the Clippers' qualifying offer.
What are the reported terms of the Mathurin deal?
Per Charania, the contract is two years and $16 million and includes a player option. That structure aligns with Mathurin's reported preference for short-term flexibility rather than locking into a longer commitment right away.
Mathurin, selected sixth overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2022 NBA Draft, became a restricted free agent after Indiana did not extend his rookie-scale deal following roster changes around Tyrese Haliburton's injury and the Myles Turner trade.
Why were the Pelicans in the mix for Mathurin?
Before the agreement surfaced, Hoops Rumors cited reporting that New Orleans was Mathurin's primary suitor, with a Clippers qualifying-offer return as the fallback. Other earlier summer links included Milwaukee, Dallas and Chicago, though those paths were later downplayed.
The Pelicans' interest mattered because Mathurin is a physical 6-foot-5 wing who creates free throws and finishes drives. Yahoo Sports noted he ranks among the league's highest free-throw attempt rates for players with heavy minutes over the past four seasons.
How did Mathurin reach this free-agency moment?
After a Pacers Finals run in 2025 in which he delivered several high-scoring bench sparks, Mathurin opened 2025-26 in Indiana's starting group before toe and thumb injuries cost him stretches of time. He was later traded to the Clippers with Isaiah Jackson and draft capital in the Ivica Zubac deal.
In Los Angeles he posted career highs in usage, points, rebounds and assists per 36 minutes over his final 26 games. The Clippers went 15-11 with him in the regular-season lineup and finished 42-40 before a play-in loss to Golden State, where Mathurin scored a team-high 23 points off the bench.
Shot-making inconsistency and a near 1-to-1 career assist-to-turnover mark have complicated his valuation, even as his playoff scoring bursts kept demand alive. For readers following breakout stories across sports and tech, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
If completed as reported, the move gives New Orleans a young scoring wing and gives Bennedict Mathurin a defined short-term landing spot with a player option baked in.