The New Orleans Pelicans are moving on from one of their most promising young players.
The Pelicans waived guard Antonio Reeves, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
Reeves, a 6-5 guard, was selected in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Kentucky and showed flashes of his potential during his rookie season.
He scored a season-high 34 points last November in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 34 points are the fifth most points scored by a Pelicans’ rookie in franchise history.
He made five 3-pointers in a game twice (against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.)
Reeves, who also spent time last season with the G League Birmingham Squadron, played in 44 games for the Pelicans. He averaged 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds and shot 39.5% on 3-pointers. His best games came towards the end of the season. He averaged 15.4 points over the last 10 games of the season. There was a 3-game stretch where he made 12 consecutive field goals.
Pelicans' head coach Willie Green raved about Reeves’ play in late March.
“He’s doing fantastic,” Green said. “The thing he’s doing is building on what he already has. He really comes in and works on his shots. We see that carry over when he does play. And he’s becoming a really good defender.”
The Pelicans’ decision to move a young, talented player on a cheap contract indicates perhaps the team is eyeing another move in free agency.
As of Thursday afternoon, the only deal the Pelicans have agreed to in free agency is the signing of center Kevon Looney from Golden State. The Pels agreed to a two-year deal worth $16 million for Looney, who won three NBA championships in his 10 NBA seasons with the Warriors. Looney gives the Pelicans a veteran presence at center.
The team could still use more shooters, which becomes an even bigger issue now that Reeves has been waived. Reeves is the third reserve from last year’s backcourt no longer on the team. The Pelicans also declined the team options on both Elfrid Payton and Brandon Boston last week.
Joe Dumars, in his first year as executive vice president of basketball operations, has made major overhauls to the roster since taking over in April.
Last week, the Pelicans acquired Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey from the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Olynyk. Before that, the Pelicans obtained the rights to guard Mojave King in a trade with the Indiana Pacers.
The Pelicans also added three players to the roster in last week’s NBA draft. They selected guard Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma) and Derik Queen (Maryland) in the first round and guard Micah Peavy (Georgetown) in the second round.
Some of the young talent will be on display next week in Las Vegas when the Pelicans begin Summer League play. Their first game is July 10 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.