Pelicans Sign Christian Shumate To Training Camp Deal

The Pelicans have officially signed Christian Shumate to a training camp contract, tweets Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot.

Shumate went undrafted in 2025 after spending his final four college seasons at McNeese State. While the 6’6″ forward made just 26.9% of his three-pointers and 51.2% on free throws over the course of his college career, he was an All-Southland selection in each of his four years with the Cowboys and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.

A 24-year-old wing, Shumate signed an Exhibit 10 deal with New Orleans last fall and was waived before the regular season began, clearing the way for him to earn a $50K bonus for playing for the team’s G League affiliate. In 40 total appearances (26.9 minutes per game) with the Birmingham Squadron in 2025/26, Shumate averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists on .513/.337/.405 shooting splits.

Assuming he received another Exhibit 10 contract and is waived before 2026/27 gets underway as expected, Shumate could earn a bonus worth up to $91K on top of his typical NBAGL salary if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron again this season. The Pelicans’ G League club has rebranded and relocated to Kenner, Louisiana, ahead of the ’26/27 campaign.

New Orleans is now at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract. It’s worth noting that Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals, and the Pelicans do have a two-way opening.