Free agency is winding down, camps are around the corner, and the Pelicans just scooped up one of the more useful leftovers on the board. Shams Charania reported Trendon Watford has agreed to a one-year, $2.9 million contract with New Orleans, giving a team that's been searching for frontcourt depth a legit two-way piece for cheap.
This isn't a nothing signing. Watford's lone season in Philly included the signature moment of his career: a 20-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against the Raptors on November 8, that came in his first career start as a Sixer, on the night Philly debuted its 2000-01 throwback jerseys and court. Six of those 10 assists went to Tyrese Maxey. It was the kind of stat line that makes you sit up and remember a guy exists.
The rest of the season was rockier. Watford appeared in 53 games for the Sixers but battled injuries and averaged just 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in limited minutes, per PhillyVoice. Philadelphia had a $2.8 million team option on him for next season and declined it on June 29, making him an unrestricted free agent — a fairly clean sign the front office didn't view him as a lock for the rotation even after that eye-popping triple-double.
For New Orleans, this is a low-risk, high-upside flier late in the offseason. Watford is a 6-foot-9 forward who can put the ball on the floor, pass out of the post and switch across multiple positions — exactly the kind of connective-tissue player teams love to have at the end of a bench when injuries inevitably hit. Per Shams, Watford reportedly weighed multiple options before deciding New Orleans was the best fit, which says something about how the front office sold him on a role.
$2.9 million for a one-year deal is basically minimum-contract territory in today's NBA, so there's minimal financial risk here for the Pelicans even if Watford never approaches that November ceiling again. If he does find any of that two-way juice from his Sixers peak, New Orleans just found a steal in the middle of August. If not, it's a rounding error on the books and a guy who can eat minutes.