The New Orleans Pelicans made a surprising free-agent move for a former NBA All-Star center who averaged under 20 minutes per game in the 2025-2026 NBA regular season.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Pelicans prioritized outbidding any team that wanted DeAndre Jordan, an All-Star during the 2016-2017 season, in free agency, showing how strongly they wanted the 18-year veteran on their roster next season.
“Sources with knowledge of New Orleans’ thinking say that the Pelicans re-signed DeAndre Jordan to a two-year deal rather than a mere one-year minimum contract because they were convinced that Jordan had one-year interest elsewhere that he was prepared to accept and did not want to lose the 37-year-old’s locker room influence,” the Stein Line wrote.
“Sources with knowledge of New Orleans’ thinking say that the Pelicans re-signed DeAndre Jordan to a two-year deal rather than a mere one-year minimum contract because
DeAndre Jordan’s New Orleans Pelicans Deal Came As A Pleasant Surprise
GettyDeAndre Jordan was named Teammate of the Year.
Jordan agreed to a two-year, $7.9 million contract, which would give him an annual salary of about $3.97 million. Both seasons are guaranteed.
It came as a surprise, considering Jordan barely saw action for the Pelicans in the 2025-2026 NBA season.
Jordan played 12 regular-season games for the Pelicans, averaging 4.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 16.6 minutes per game.
He primarily served in a backup capacity and as a locker-room leader for the Pelicans.
Jordan was a veteran mentor to Pelicans rookie big man Derik Queen. He also built a strong mentor-mentee relationship and worked closely with forward Zion Williamson.
According to multiple reports during the season, Jordan’s mentorship focuses on helping younger players navigate the physical and mental demands of an NBA season, leaning on his long career.
Because of his locker room presence and off-court impact, Jordan was named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Before signing with the Pelicans, he spent three seasons with the Denver Nuggets, playing as a backup center behind Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets won the 2023 NBA championship, giving Jordan his lone NBA title in his career.
Now, Jordan is shaping Queen into a formidable center for the Pelicans’ future.
DeAndre Jordan Is ‘Cool’ With His Mentor Role In New Orleans
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: DeAndre Jordan #6 of the New Orleans Pelicans takes a shot against Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on March 03, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DeAndre Jordan may be a limited performer for the Pelicans on the court, but his contributions outside of it are invaluable.
Jordan spoke about his mentor role in New Orleans and how he is cool being one late in his NBA career.
“When your career changes, your ego kind of dies a little bit with that in order to reinvent yourself as a person, as a player,” Jordan said via Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic. “I feel like a lot of times our ego — which is great at certain times because it got us to where we are — can be a little on my shoulder telling me ‘Nah, you need to do more. This is bulls—.’
“But now I’m at a different place in my life where I’m cool with my role. I’m happy, but I still love to compete. I still love to play, but I know that this is the younger generation’s time, and I want to be able to put back into that.”
He gets to do it again for the next two seasons in perhaps his final hoorah as one of the beloved teammates in the NBA.
New Orleans Pelicans Make Unexpected Move To Get Former All-Star Center