Why Did Bennedict Mathurin Leave Clippers For Pelicans?
ClutchPoints NBA Insiders Tomer Azarly and Brett Siegel discuss the latest on why restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin requested that the LA Clippers rescind his qualifying offer so he can became an unrestricted free agent to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans, who won 26 games last season.
Video Transcript
Why would Benedict Mathurin leave the LA Clippers to join a New Orleans Pelicans team that won just 26 games last season?
Mathurin agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans, leaving the Clippers despite being a restricted free agent.
But first, he'll need the Clippers to rescind their qualifying offer.
The Clippers have 17 guaranteed roster spots and would need to cut at least two players by the time the season starts.
But what does Mathurin see in the Pelicans that enticed him so much?
Throughout the off-season, the Pelicans were one of the lead suitors for Benedict Mathurin, with lead executive Joe Dumars heavily recruiting him and making it clear that he would be a long-term piece in their core group in New Orleans.
For Mathurin and his camp, they did not want to return to the Clippers.
However, this new deal with the Pelicans almost acts as a transfer of his qualifying offer.
He's gonna be making the same amount of money as he would've if he opted into his qualifying offer with the Clippers, and it's a special one-plus-one deal in the sense that year two he has a player option, and it gives him an insurance policy where if he gets hurt, he could opt into that money.
But ultimately, he has direct access to enter unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Whether that means he stays with the Pelicans on a new long-term deal then or he gets a major payday somewhere else, Benedict Mathurin joins a situation where he will get guaranteed minutes on a team with similar players and a position where he can immediately prove to be a leading scorer for the New Orleans Pelicans.
