Devonte' Graham is headed to the New Orleans Pelicans after a sign-and-trade deal was agreed upon with the Charlotte Hornets, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The New Orleans Pelicans are landing Charlotte restricted free agent guard Devonte Graham on a four-year, $47M contract in a sign-and-trade deal, agents Ty Sullivan and Austin Brown of [CAA Basketball] tell ESPN.
Graham's production saw a dip in 2020-21 due to the addition of Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball to the Hornets' lineup. Though he still managed to average 14.8 points per game on 37% shooting from long distance, it still pales in comparison to his banner run in 2019-20 where he was among the candidates for Most Improved Player after tallying 18.2 points and 7.5 assists per game.
According to Wojnarowski, the Hornets are set to receive the Pelicans' lottery-protected first-round pick in 2022.
The Pelicans will be getting some much-needed backcourt boost after losing Lonzo Ball in a separate sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls. Graham is a career 37% shooter from 3-point range on 7.2 attempts per game. He should fit in nicely alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram as a third scoring option.
Last season, Williamson showed strides as a playmaker after being given the point forward designation by then-head coach Stan Van Gundy. Ingram, on the other hand, further cemented his status as a big-time scorer for the Pelicans.
Devonte' Graham will share backcourt minutes alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, and Kira Lewis Jr. but the newly-acquired shooter projects to be ahead of these other names in the Pelicans' backcourt totem pole.
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