Forward Larry Nance Jr. and the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a two-year, $21.6 million extension, in accordance to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Nance Jr. was coming into the ultimate yr of a four-year, $48 million contract, however the extension will preserve him in New Orleans by way of the 2024-25 season.
“I’m finally healthy,” Nance Jr. said on Pelicans Media Day final week. “I played the end of the season still recovering from the surgery. The meniscus surgery I had, I didn’t realize how long that had been bothering me. I had lost a step, lost a little bit of balance, and all that came back in the summer. I feel good. I feel better than I have the last few years.”
The 29-year-old averaged 7.3 factors, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists for the Pels after being traded from the Portland Trail Blazers together with CJ McCollum and Tony Snell for Josh Hart, Thomas Satoransky, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Pels have locked in all their core gamers, McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson, to long-term offers.
“In the seven months I’ve been here, I’ve seen a community that is going to rock with this team. If we show love for the city and provide some excitement, the fans will give us that back tenfold,” mentioned Nance Jr.
📍 NOLA
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) October 1, 2022
Nance Jr. excelled within the Pels small ball lineup off the bench and is happy in regards to the upcoming season.
“I’ve gotta put on some padding to deal with this beating I’m gonna take in training camp,” Nance Jr. joked about enjoying towards Williamson. “No one wants to see him exceed more than I do.”
Williamson sat out all final season with damage and has solely performed in 85 games since being drafted by the Pels in 2019.
Nance Jr. is coming into his eighth yr within the league, with career averages of 8.1 factors, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
