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The New Orleans Pelicans stuck with the status quo through the NBA Trade Deadline but the front office still has some wiggle room with the postseason roster. Moves on the back end of the roster prove vital to turning a seven-game series all too often. Everything depends on the matchups so the franchise is making some moves around the margins. Those moves all but rule out another signing before the March 1 deadline to sign waived players to the roster and be postseason-eligible.
The Pelicans can be bold down the stretch but the front office is going with a ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it' policy. The roster moves involve familiar faces around the practice facility. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's two-way deal was converted to a standard NBA contract. The versatile forward had played in 21 games, averaging 10 minutes per contest. Malcolm Hill was promoted into that open two-way roster spot. The Pelicans then added Karlo Matkovic to their Birmingham Squadron G-League roster, as first reported by Michael Scotto.
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Robinson-Earl is good for stout defense, 3.7 points, and 2.3 rebounds in those 10 minutes. Hill was previously on a 10-day deal but did not see any NBA court time with the Pelicans. The 28-year-old does have NBA experience thanks to stints with the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. He has been averaging 24.6 points on 44% shooting from three-point range with the Squadron.
Matkovic was the 52nd pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. He was previously with Cedevita Olimpia Ljubljana, averaging 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and a league-leading 2.1 blocks per game in the EuroCup. The Slovenian big man was seen around New Orleans during Mardi Gras last week and is primed to continue his NBA journey after a shortened Summer League run. The Pelicans have some of their Non-Taxpayer MLE remaining if they want to forgo using the new second-round draftee exception to ink the 22-year-old Matkovic up for three or four years.
The Pelicans Big Three garner most headlines but the supporting cast deserves credit. The Pelicans have flaws but a lack of healthy competitive spirit within the group is not on the list. Rewarding end-of-bench NBA guys like Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall who bring energy to the group has previously helped this locker room through tough times. These moves aren't league-altering, just a continuation of the sustained organizational success the front office mentions at almost every press conference.
