NBA free agency is right around the corner and while teams can begin negotiating contracts on Friday, Jun. 30, some dominoes have already fallen. Most of the activity in the days leading up to NBA free agency is contract guarantees. For players that have player options and teams that have team options, the past week held many of the deadlines for said players to decide if they wanted to opt into their contract or become a free agent, and said teams to decide if they want to guarantee a player's contract or allow them to walk in free agency. The New Orleans Pelicans were facing such a decision when it came to veteran guard Garrett Temple. Ultimately, the Pelicans decided to extend the deadline on Garrett Temple's contract option until July 7, after free agency begins, as per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
While much of the news surrounding the Pelicans in recent weeks has been the controversy surrounding Zion Williamson off the court, a decision on Garrett Temple's contract is actually rather significant. Temple is a veteran and a respected voice in the locker room, something the Pelicans seem to need.
Temple will be entering his 14th year in the NBA and third with the Pelicans. He only suited up in 25 games last season, averaging 2.0 points per game, 0.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.4 steals with splits of 40 percent shooting from the field, 42.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 75 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His real value lies in his off the court leadership. As the Pelicans enter free agency, you can bet that Temple being retained will probably be an under-the-radar priority.