New Orleans Pelicans

Evan Mobley's third Las Vegas Summer League appearance may have been his most forgettable.

That's also a compliment. The big man's skill set is already refined enough that his eye-popping plays already look like normal possessions for him. 

Mobley's eight points in an 87-74 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday was his fewest of his exhibitions so far and still showcased the footwork and strength that helped convince the Cavs to draft him No. 3 overall earlier this summer. 

The USC product displayed notable patience and poise in the paint, pump-faking around defenders and creating space for easy looks at the rim where none existed otherwise. His agility also helped him grab 11 rebounds to go with his three assists, one steal and one block. 

Tough, @evanmobley. #CavsSummer pic.twitter.com/HpqoK2i1wl

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) August 13, 2021

Evan Mobley shows off the footwork on NBA TV 👀#NBASummer x @cavs pic.twitter.com/C5WBcsUhHl

— NBA (@NBA) August 13, 2021

In 28 minutes, the center went 4-of-11 from the field, including 0-of-3 from behind the arc. He'd previously scored 14 points against the Orlando Magic and 12 against the Houston Rockets in Summer League play. Each of those outings also saw the rookie take a high volume of shots.

It's clear Cleveland wants Mobley to stay aggressive on offense as he transitions to the NBA; it just wasn't enough to overcome a New Orleans squad led by second-year guard Kira Lewis Jr. 

The Alabama alum dropped a game-high 22 points, while fellow sophomore Naji Marshall added a few highlight-reel moments himself. 

Kira Lewis never disappoints 🤩🤩

Watch with us LIVE on NBATV pic.twitter.com/DtsM0Y0Bsf

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 13, 2021

NAJI MARSHALL WITH THE BLOCK 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/Z9RHlYD4Xb

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 13, 2021

HERB JONES WITH THE REVERSE JAM 😤🤯💪🏽👏🏽 #SummerPelicans pic.twitter.com/NNjabD5Tci

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 13, 2021

Marshall finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Pelicans improved to 3-0 in Vegas.

Cleveland will be back in action on Saturday against the New York Knicks on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET. New Orleans returns to the floor on at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors also on ESPN2.

The NBA is reportedly investigating the sign-and-trade deals involving Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry for potential tampering, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski added that the "NBA is expected to examine early contact" regarding those trades that may have happened before free agency opened at 6 p.m. ET Monday.

The New Orleans Pelicans sent Ball to the Chicago Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade that netted guard Tomas Satoransky, wing Garrett Temple and a second-round pick. Ball signed a four-year, $85 million contract as part of the move.

Lowry signed a three-year, $90 million contract and was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the Miami Heat for forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Goran Dragic.

Since the Ball and Lowry transactions were reported shortly after free agency began, it led to speculation that early talks were held, in violation of league rules.

Per Wojnarowski, the NBA made several changes to its tampering rules two years ago, including raising the maximum fine to $10 million and allowing for the voiding of contracts, forfeiture of draft picks and suspension of executives.

In December, the NBA took away the Milwaukee Bucks' second-round pick in 2022 because of their sign-and-trade negotiation with the Sacramento Kings involving Bogdan Bogdanovic. The sign-and-trade fell through, and Bogdanovic went to the Atlanta Hawks instead.

Under tampering rules, the NBA can examine the phone call records, texts and emails of executives to determine if regulations were broken.

Assuming the Ball and Lowry deals still go through, they should help the Bulls and Heat in their attempts to vie for Eastern Conference supremacy.

The Bulls have not reached the playoffs since 2017, but with a potential starting lineup of Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic, that drought could end in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, the Heat now have a Big Three of Lowry, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and are just over one year removed from a trip to the NBA Finals, meaning they could once again be a top contender next season.

Center Willy Hernangomez has an agreement in place to return to the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Hernangomez's agents said the 27-year-old big man has agreed to a three-year contract with the Pels.

Hernangomez spent the 2020-21 season with the Pelicans after signing a one-year deal in free agency. He previously played for the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets during his five-year NBA career.

The 6'11" native of Spain averaged 7.8 points and a career-high 7.1 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game last season. He also shot a career-high 56.3 percent from the field.

While Hernangomez primarily came off the bench last season (12 starts in 47 games), just as he has throughout his career, he gave the Pels solid production behind Steven Adams, who was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason as part of a move that brought back Jonas Valanciunas.

With Valanciunas poised to occupy the starting center role in New Orleans, Hernangomez figures to play similar minutes in 2021-22 and beyond.

Hernangomez has appeared in 256 regular-season games during his NBA career, averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor.

He is also coming off representing Spain at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where he averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game before Spain was eliminated by the United States in the quarterfinals.

With Valanciunas, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Devonte' Graham, the Pelicans should have a decent starting lineup next season, and Hernangomez figures to complement it well.

Retaining Hernangomez gives incoming head coach Willie Green frontcourt depth, and it's a move that could help the Pels contend for a playoff spot after missing the postseason the past three seasons.

Mike D'Antoni is joining the New Orleans Pelicans staff as a coaching consultant to first-year head coach Willie Green.

D'Antoni was most recently an assistant for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21. In his new role, the 70-year-old will "periodically spend time with Pelicans' coaching staff through summer league, training camp and season," according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

New Orleans also announced the addition of Jarron Collins, who had been an assistant for the Golden State Warriors since 2014.

"This is a cohesive group of high-character individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets,” Green said of his new staff. “I’m confident that their coaching and playing experience at the highest professional and collegiate levels, combined with their work ethic and team-focused approach, will help build the foundation we need to be successful."

ESPN's Jordan Schultz reported in June that D'Antoni was on the radar for the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic as they conducted their head coaching searches.

That he stepped away from the Nets and took a job with the Pelicans that doesn't require a day-to-day commitment raises questions as to his desire to coach full-time. On the other hand, D'Antoni may view this as a less strenuous way to remain within the NBA ecosystem and keep open the possibility of working as a head coach again.

This role also reunites him with Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, who worked in the Phoenix Suns front office while D'Antoni coached the team.

Assembling the right staff is imperative for Green as the 40-year-old approaches his maiden voyage. Even for somebody with years of experience on an NBA bench, making the transition from assistant to head coach can always be tricky.

And with the attractiveness of coaching Zion Williamson comes the pressure to deliver results.

While there isn't yet an imminent threat of Williamson leaving, his future in New Orleans has already become a topic of discussion. Firing Stan Van Gundy after just one season seemed to be an acknowledgment of how the organization can't afford to tread water for too long. The team finished 31-41 and 11th in the Western Conference.

Nobody expects Green to bring a championship to the Pels in 2021-22, but anything short of a postseason appearance will probably qualify as a major disappointment.

Footage of New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes' recent arrest surfaced Wednesday, and it showed Hayes getting tased by police.

In the video, Hayes is on the ground with three officers, one of whom appears to tase him in the chest. Two of the cops then roll on top of Hayes and handcuff him before police approach the person recording and the video shuts off:

Leaked footage shows Jaxson Hayes excessively tased by the police

(Via TMZ / h/t @HoopAnalysisNet & @AhnFireDigital )

https://t.co/5uBX5oRXUz

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 4, 2021

According to TMZ Sports, Hayes was arrested in the early hours of July 28 in Los Angeles and charged with resisting arrest. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michael Moore later announced that the LAPD was launching an investigation into whether excessive force was used against Hayes by the police.

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TMZ Sports also noted that the footage only shows what happened while Hayes was on the ground, but nothing before it. 

The LAPD alleged in a statement that Hayes was the initial aggressor, saying:

Body worn video captured Hayes repeatedly attempting to enter the residence despite officers blocking his path and verbal commands for him to remain outside.

Officers requested a backup and they attempted to place Hayes' hands behind his back; however, Hayes broke free of the officers' grasp and pushed one of the officers into a wall.

Hayes alleged that at one point during the altercation with police, pressure was applied to his neck and he had trouble breathing, prompting the excessive force investigation.

Per the Associated Press, police said they received a call in the early morning hours of July 28 about a potential domestic violence situation. Police said that when they encountered Hayes, he continually tried to enter a residence despite being asked to remain outside.

Police also said a woman declined to cooperate with an investigation into potential domestic violence involving Hayes.

According to TMZ Sports, Hayes was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and later released from custody on $25,000 bond.

Hayes, 21, was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Texas, and he has spent his first two NBA seasons with the Pelicans.

The 6'11" big man averaged 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 60 appearances for the Pels last season.

Goran Dragic's stay with the Toronto Raptors may not be long, as multiple teams looking for a point guard reportedly have interest in the 35-year-old. 

On the latest episode of Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at the 39:30 mark), ESPN's Marc J. Spears noted Dragic's "first choice" is the Dallas Mavericks. 

Spears also said the New Orleans Pelicans are on Dragic's list of preferred landing spots. 

The Miami Heat have agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors for Kyle Lowry that will send Dragic to Toronto, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Dragic hasn't been shy about saying publicly that he would like the chance to play alongside Luka Doncic at some point. 

“Maybe I would really end my career together with Luka Doncic in a Dallas Mavericks jersey," Dragic told Slovenian reporter Matej Podgorsek of Planet TV (h/t Matt Galatzan of 105.3 The Fan). "But these are all guesses now. I still don’t know where I’m going to play. But I definitely want to play with him someday.”

Windhorst noted the Mavs do want to pair Dragic with Doncic, but they "don't want to pay" the price in a trade to make it happen. He also noted the Pelicans could look to join the sign-and-trade deal with Miami and Toronto to take Dragic to New Orleans. 

The earliest the trade can become official is Aug. 6. 

The Pelicans desperately need a starting point guard who can score and run the offense. Lonzo Ball is reportedly set to join the Chicago Bulls on a four-year, $85 million deal as part of a sign-and-trade with New Orleans,  per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Windhorst said on his podcast that Chris Paul "entertained" a three-year, $100 million offer from New Orleans before agreeing to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns. 

William Guillory of The Athletic listed Spencer Dinwiddie as a player of interest to the Pelicans before the start of free agency. The 28-year-old is nearing agreement on a deal with the Washington Wizards, per Wojnarowski. 

Dragic has been a solid starter in the NBA over the course of his 13-year career. The Slovenian star has averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds per game and has made 36.4 percent of his three-point attempts in 867 games since the 2008-09 season.   

All-Star point guard Chris Paul reportedly "entertained" a three-year, $100 million offer from the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency before opting to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns on a four-year, $120 million contract.

"And Chris Paul, who [the Pelicans] offered $100 million from what I understand," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM). "It helped convince Phoenix to give him at least [a] partially guaranteed fourth year. ... I think Chris entertained it for some period of time."

Paul played a pivotal role in helping the Suns make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.

The 36-year-old Wake Forest product averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds across 70 appearances during the regular season after being acquired in a November trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He put up 19.2 points per game in 20 contests during the team's playoff run.

"We're going to process this and figure this out. I think everything else will take care of itself. I'm confident that we will be able to have a conversation hopefully in the coming days that will make everyone happy," Paul told reporters after the Finals about his future in Phoenix.

The four-time All-NBA first-team selection started his NBA career with six seasons in New Orleans when the franchise was known as the Hornets. He then made stops with the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Thunder before landing with the Suns.

It sounds like a potential return to NOLA, where he could have teamed up with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, at least caused him to take a pause before signing on to stick with Phoenix.

That said, it would have qualified as a significant surprise if Paul departed the Suns after they just showed their championship window is wide-open. They won the first two games of the Finals before losing four straight to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

His return allows Phoenix to pick up right where it left off when next season opens, as almost all of its key contributors—a group that also features Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges—remain under contract for the 2021-22 campaign.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans added Devonte' Graham to share ball-handling duties with Eric Bledsoe following Lonzo Ball's departure for the Chicago Bulls.

New Orleans could still benefit from adding another wing scorer either via trade or free agency if it wants to make a serious charge up the Western Conference standings next season.

The New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a four-year, $47 million contract with Devonte' Graham after negotiating a sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

As part of the deal, Charlotte will reportedly receive a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2022.

The Hornets extended Graham the qualifying offer Sunday, which made him a restricted free agent. They successfully used that to leverage a nice asset out of New Orleans.

The Pelicans, meanwhile, needed to find a new point guard after Lonzo Ball agreed to a four-year, $85 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The Hornets originally selected Graham No. 34 overall in the 2018 draft and watched him quickly emerge as a starting point guard, building a case for Most Improved Player in the 2019-20 with the support of LeBron James after increasing his points per game from 4.6 in 2018 to 18.2 during his sophomore campaign. 

As Charlotte continued to tinker with the lineup after adding LaMelo Ball to a backcourt featuring Graham and Terry Rozier, the North Carolina native continued to excel, averaging 14.8 points, 5.4 assists and 3.3 three-pointers per game. That helped the Hornets finish 33-39 in 2020-21 en route to qualifying for the play-in tournament.

With Rozier and Ball leading the backcourt moving forward, the former Jayhawks star no longer fit in the rotation. He could potentially play a starring role in New Orleans alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

The Chicago Bulls are acquiring New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball in a sign-and-trade deal, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, who relayed the transaction's details:

The Chicago Bulls are sending Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple and a second-round pick to New Orleans for Lonzo Ball, who's signing a four-year, $85M contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2021

Here's a look at how the Bulls' and Pelicans' rosters and salary caps shake out following the reported move. All figures are via Spotrac as of 6:07 p.m. ET Monday, when Charania reported the deal.

    

Bulls Active Roster and 2021-22 Cap Figure

Nikola Vucevic, C: $24M

Lonzo Ball, PG: $19.8M

Zach LaVine, SG: $19.5M

Thaddeus Young, PF: $14.2M

Al-Farouq Aminu, PF: $10.2M

Alex Caruso, G: $9.25M (average salary, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski)

Patrick Williams, SF: $7.4M

Coby White, PG: $5.8M

Troy Brown Jr., SF: $5.2M

Ayo Dosunmu, PF: TBD (rookie, second-round draft pick)

Total Estimated Cap Figure (Active Roster): $115.35 million

    

Pelicans Active Roster and 2021-22 Cap Figure

Brandon Ingram, SF: $29.5M

Jonas Valanciunas, C: $14M—ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Valanciunas will be traded to the Pelicans on August 6

Devonte' Graham, PG: $11.75M (average salary after reported Pelicans-Charlotte Hornets sign-and-trade, per Wojnarowski)

Zion Williamson, PF: $10.7M

Tomas Satoransky, SG: $10M

Jaxson Hayes, C: $5.3M

Garrett Temple, SG: $5M (per David Aldridge of The Athletic)

Kira Lewis Jr., PG: $3.8M

Ziaire Williams, SG/SF: $3.6M (projected first-year salary, per RealGM)

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG: $3.3M

Trey Murphy III, SF/PF: $2.5M (projected first-year salary, per RealGM)

Wesley Iwundu, SF: $1.8M

Naji Marshall, SF: $1.5M

Herb Jones, PF: TBD (rookie, second-round draft pick)

Total Estimated Cap Figure (Active Roster): $102.85 million

    

Per an NBA Communications press release, the salary cap will be $112.414 million, a roughly three-percent raise from the 2020-21 cap ($109.1 million).

Obviously, both teams' cap figures are still very fluid as the offseason continues. They will still need to fill out their rosters before the season starts.

For now, it appears Ball is a Bull, ready to lead a team looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. He'll be leading the charge at point guard alongside LaVine in the backcourt.

White figures to come off the bench. In the frontcourt, Vucevic will lead the way, and Williams will look to take another step forward as well in his second NBA season.

The Pels were wise to get something in return for Ball, and they get two solid pieces in Satoransky and Temple. If anything, they give the team much-needed veteran presences in the backcourt on a very young team.

Many players on this roster are 25 years of age or younger, and adding the 29-year-old Satoransky and 35-year-old Temple should add some veteran leadership to the locker room as New Orleans looks to make the playoffs for the first time in the Zion Williamson era.

The New Orleans Pelicans have taken the first step toward potentially keeping Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. 

Per ESPN's Andrew Lopez, New Orleans extended qualifying offers to Ball and Hart on Saturday.

Ball's one-year qualifying tender is worth $14.4 million, though he seems likely to receive a long-term offer from at least one team. Meanwhile, Spotrac noted Hart's qualifying offer is worth $5.2 million.

As restricted free agents, the Pelicans will have the ability to match any offer sheet that Ball and Hart sign from other clubs. They can also continue negotiating with both to get a long-term deal done before the start of free agency. 

There's been speculation about the 23-year-old Ball's future dating back to the trade deadline in March when he was mentioned as a possible candidate to be dealt. New Orleans held onto him hoping to make a run at the playoffs, but things didn't come together for the team in Stan Van Gundy's first year as head coach. 

One possible reason the Pelicans considered moving Ball is what he might be seeking in a long-term contract. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported at the time the UCLA alum is "hoping to make approximately $20 million annually on his next deal."

New Orleans has already committed long term to Brandon Ingram. Zion Williamson will be eligible for a rookie extension after the 2022-23 season. 

The Pelicans roster didn't gel particularly well last season. Their defense ranked in the bottom 10 in points allowed and rating. 

There are plenty of things for Pelicans vice president David Griffin to examine with this roster moving forward. The individual pieces have the ability to be great, but something hasn't clicked to this point. 

Ball did have his most productive offensive season in 2020-21. He averaged a career-high 14.6 points on 37.8 percent three-point shooting with 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 55 starts. 

Hart, meanwhile, averaged 9.2 points per game last season, shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 32.6 percent from three-point range in 47 appearances for New Orleans.

While both Ball and Hart will have the opportunity to explore the market, the Pelicans will have the final say if either player will return to New Orleans in 2021-22.