It was a little more than two weeks after the agreement reported for the first time, Benedict Maturin completed his two-year, $16 million contract with Pelicanstrans NBA.com Official Transaction Log.
Maturin’s two-year deal with New Orleans is said to include a second-year player option.
The Pelicans have created the financial and roster flexibility needed to complete the Maturin deal if they traded Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavysecond-round pick and second-round trade to Memphis in exchange for AJ Johnson and That Gibson. New Orleans later refused Gibson, who was included in the deal to match salaries.
Maturin was a restricted free agent, but his representatives reportedly reached out to him Clippers to withdraw his $8.8 million qualifying offer, making him unrestricted and allowing him to sign directly with New Orleans without having to fill out an offer letter or sign-and-trade deal.
July 13 was the deadline for the team to unilaterally rescind the restricted free agent’s qualifying offer, but Los Angeles could still go that route with Maturin agreeing throughout the offseason.
Maturin, who had interest from the Bulls, Bucks and Mavericks earlier this summer, reportedly received longer-term, higher-money offers but preferred a shorter-term deal that would allow him unrestricted free agency as early as next offseason. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Pelicans have pursued Maturin for more than a year, and New Orleans hopes the 24-year-old will be a big part of the team’s young core moving forward.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Maturin spent two seasons in college at Arizona before being selected sixth overall in the 2022 draft. He played for the Pacers for three and a half seasons before being traded to the Clips in February as part of Ivitsa Zubak blockbuster.
Maturin averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.0 minutes per game over 26 appearances (one start) for LA last season.
Those numbers weren’t much different from what the 6’5″ swingman posted in the Pacers’ 28 games to open the 2025/26 campaign (17.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.3 rpg), though his 3-point shooting dropped significantly in Los Angeles from 37.2% on 5.6 attempts per game to 20.7% on 3.2 attempts per game. competition. He was a 34.2% three-pointer last season.
Maturin has shown the ability to be a dangerous scorer, though his jump shot can be hit or miss. He’s at his best when he gets to the free throw line, where he’s made 83.8% on 5.1 attempts per game over his four-year career. His game is still a work in progress as he has more career turnovers (502) than assists (500).
After signing Mathurin, the Pelicans now have 14 players with guaranteed standard contracts, with Trendon Watford on a partially guaranteed transaction and Kobe Bufkin, Caleb Houston and Christian Koloko on non-guaranteed covenants on fees. They also have security Jaron Pierre Jr and forward Malik He on two-way trades, with one roster spot (and one two-way slot) still open.