Apr 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans bench reacts to a play against the Miami Heat during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Ex-Warriors Guard Waived by New Orleans Pelicans

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 6:05 PM ET

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a busy offseason after Joe Dumars stepped in to be the team's new head of basketball operations. They were the talk of the NBA Draft after selecting Jeremiah Fears 7th overall, then trading their unprotected 2026 pick to the Atlanta Hawks in order to trade up ten spots to select Derik Queen, who is already out with an injury for an extended time.

They've also traded CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey, signed Kevon Looney, given the Indiana Pacers their 2026 first-round pick back, and waived Antonio Reeves while making moves around the fringes.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

According to the NBA.com's transaction log, the New Orleans Pelicans have continued their re-shaping of the roster by waiving guard Lester Quinones. Quinones played in nine games for the Pelicans last season while on a two-way contract, averaging 8.6 PPG and 2.6 APG.

Quinones started his career with the Golden State Warriors, signing with them as an undrafted free agent out of Memphis in 2022. There was a time in the 2023-24 season when people thought he could be a future rotation player, as he shot 37% from three in his 41 career games with the Warriors, even getting converted to a standard NBA contract in 2024.

The New Orleans Pelicans are waiving two-way guard Lester Quinones, sources told @hoopshype. He averaged 8.6 points in 9 games for the Pelicans and 21.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in 41 games with Birmingham Squadron and Delaware Blue Coats in the G League.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 24, 2025

However, the Warriors didn't bring him back after that season, so he signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers just before the start of the season. He was waived by the 76ers in December, then joined the Pelicans.

Quinones was elite in his time in the G-League last year, averaging 21.6 PPG in 41 games, so there's still a chance a team could want him on a two-way spot.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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