Pelicans Sign Julian Reese To Two-Way Contract

As we noted earlier today when we recapped New Orleans’ offseason moves, the team had an open two-way slot alongside Jaron Pierre Jr. and Malik Dia, so no corresponding roster move is necessary to make room for Reese. The Pelicans now have a full 21-man offseason roster, with 15 players on standard contracts, three on two-way deals, and three on non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contracts.

A four-year college player at the University of Maryland, Reese went undrafted in 2025 after playing alongside current Pelicans big man Derik Queen as a senior. He spent most of the 2025/26 season in the G League with the Raptors 905, before signing a two-way contract with the Wizards in late February.

The brother of three-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese, Julian played a significant role for the tanking Wizards at the end of last season, averaging 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.9 minutes per contest across 13 games (10 starts). The 23-year-old also made 41 total NBAGL appearances for Toronto’s and Washington’s G League affiliates, averaging 8.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 18.3 MPG.

Reese was traded from Washington to Denver in August’s five-team Peyton Watson deal, then was waived by the Nuggets about a week later, making him an unrestricted free agent.