Bennedict Mathurin has signed a two-year contract worth $16 million with the New Orleans Pelicans which includes a player option.
The representatives of Mathurin reached out to the Los Angeles Clippers requesting the withdrawal of their $8.8 million qualifying offer in order to get into a better position with the New Orleans Pelicans, per ESPN.
Bennedict Mathurin has agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, including a player option, sources tell ESPN.
Mathurin’s reps approached the Clippers about withdrawing his $8.8M qualifying offer, effectively turning the QO into a more favorable… pic.twitter.com/U53SEBOm3m
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2026
The 24-year-old Mathurin has considered flexibility and getting into the unrestricted free agent status in the summer of 2024 over the long-term contracts.
The Pelicans have been after Mathurin for more than a year and see him as an important piece of their youth movement, but also as a means to stay under the luxury tax threshold this season.
Mathurin was traded last year to the Clippers as part of a multiplayer deal involving center Ivica Zubac going from the Clippers to the Indiana Pacers.
Bench Scoring Power
Last year, he scored 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.8 steals (career-highs across the board) in 54 games (25 starts) split between the Pacers and Clippers. He scored 17.5 points per game off the bench last season, which was the most among players doing so in the NBA (minimum 20 games).
Drafted No. 6 overall in the 2022 draft by the Pacers, Mathurin averages 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 263 games in four years.
