The New Orleans Pelicans have assigned fourth-year guard Kira Lewis Jr. to the Birmingham Squadron, the team’s NBA G League affiliate. It's been a slow fall out of favor for the 2020 NBA Draft's 13th overall pick. The Alabama alum was getting consistent minutes to start the season. Now the 22-year-old is leaving the team during a road trip to knock off rust in the G League.

Lewis will be available for the Squadron’s game tomorrow night against the Osceola Magic. That's the last look the front office will get of the team before the G League's Winter Showcase break. Lewis will likely share the backcourt with Dereon Seabron, who is on a two-way contract with the Pelicans.

Kira Lewis Jr.'s G League demotion signals possible trade

The Pelicans could be moving on from Kira Lewis amid his diminished role.

Lewis has checked into 13 games for the Pelicans this season, averaging 3.1 points, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game. He has appeared in 116 games since being drafted by New Orleans with career averages of 5.5 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. However, he now has as many DNP-CDs (did not play, coach's decision) as GPs (games played) with 12 each.

Blowouts are usually a prime spot to get young prospects developmental minutes, yet Lewis played the final 6:23 in an embarrassing NBA In-Season Tournament loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The story was the same when New Orleans held a 33-point lead over the Dallas Mavericks early in the fourth quarter back in mid-November. The Pelicans were up 123-93 with just over half of the fourth quarter left. The speedy guard finished with two points in 2:03 of action.

The diminished role suggests Lewis expiring contract will be moved before the trade deadline. There just are not enough minutes to go around now that CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III are healthy. Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall bring more energy, play tougher defense and sport better shooting numbers. Rookie Jordan Hawkins has a higher upside after a historic start to his career and is under team control for several more years.

Lewis has played more than 12 minutes just three times this season. He has played in only three games since November 17th for a combined total of 16 minutes. He may get to check in a few more times wearing a Pelicans uniform, but there is a good chance he has played his last meaningful minutes in New Orleans.