While Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream clinched the fourth seed heading into the WNBA playoffs this week, her brother Julian Reese 's NBA career was in limbo. On August 28, the Denver Nuggets waived him from his two-way contract after a multi-team trade, and nearly a month later, the 23-year-old has finally found a new home: the New Orleans Pelicans .
Julian's agents, Yann Balikouzou and Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management, revealed to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that the Pelicans signed Reese to a two-way contract, finalizing their two-way roster ahead of training camp.
The 6'9 forward, who is the younger brother of WNBA All-Star and record-breaking rebounding phenom Angel Reese, made a major splash late last season during a 13-game stint with the Washington Wizards. Operating on a two-way contract, Reese averaged 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 52.9% from the field across 30.9 minutes per game.
His uncanny instinct on the glass mirrors the trademark skill set of his sister, offering New Orleans a high-motor frontcourt piece with proven rebounding capabilities.
Reese's arrival in New Orleans also brings a special reunion with center Derik Queen . The two big men were teammates during their high school days at St. Frances Academy and college days with the Maryland Terrapins, anchoring a formidable frontcourt in the Big Ten.
This last-minute signing before training camp is well-timed by the Pelicans. They've been on a slow reconstruction this offseason, with analysts predicting some major roster moves by the trade deadline, depending on how the regular season goes with this roster.
After going undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft following four productive seasons at Maryland, where he finished second in program history with 1,015 career rebounds, Reese spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers ' summer league squad and the Toronto Raptors ' G League affiliate, Raptors 905. He eventually earned a two-way contract with Washington in late February 2026, where he capitalized on late-season rotational minutes.
During his brief time with the Wizards, Reese produced historical rebounding games. In just his third NBA appearance, he posted a monster 18-point, 20-rebound performance against the Utah Jazz , grabbing 10 offensive and 10 defensive boards.
He became the first Washington rookie to record 20 rebounds in a game since Tom Gugliotta in 1993. He joined the Reese family's honorary 'Unc,' Shaquille O'Neal , alongside Tim Duncan as the only players in four decades to reach 20 rebounds within their first five NBA games. Later in March, Reese dropped 26 points and 17 rebounds in a victory over Utah.
However, the offseason brought roster shifting. Washington traded Reese to the Denver Nuggets in August as part of a five-team sign-and-trade deal involving Peyton Watson . But due to roster constraints, Denver waived Reese a week later.
After a month in free agency, the Pelicans snap up the free agent. Even Angel couldn't contain her excitement for her brother.
For the Pelicans, adding Reese addresses a clear structural need for interior glass-cleaning alongside a frontcourt depth chart featuring Zion Williamson , Yves Missi , Karlo Matkovic, DeAndre Jordan , Trendon Watford , and former Maryland teammate Derik Queen.
By taking the final two-way contract alongside Jaron Pierre Jr. and Malik Dia, Reese provides New Orleans with flexible, high-upside depth. Capable of playing in up to 50 NBA games while developing with the G League affiliate Laketown Squadron, Angel's younger brother enters training camp with an ideal setup to prove his late-season production in Washington last season was no fluke.
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