Should the Pelicans Sign Bennedict Mathurin?

The Pelicans' interest in Bennedict Mathurin isn't a new development, but it's picking up relevance again as his restricted free agency plays out. According to Michael Scotto/Jake Fischer's reporting at Hoops Rumors, New Orleans was the team that showed the strongest trade interest in Mathurin during the season, back when Indiana was gauging his market ahead of February's deadline before ultimately sending him elsewhere in the deal that landed Ivica Zubac in Indiana. That same report notes the Pelicans have been "involved in Mathurin's restricted free agency."

The fit is easy to see on paper. New Orleans has spent the last two seasons trying to build a young, athletic core around Zion Williamson, and Mathurin slots into that timeline almost perfectly. He's 23, still on his rookie scale money, and he plays the kind of downhill, attack-the-rim game that translates well next to shooters and playmakers rather than needing the ball in his hands.

Look at the roster around him. Trey Murphy III gives the Pelicans a legitimate three-point threat and secondary scorer on the wing, someone who can space the floor so Mathurin has room to operate off cuts and drives. Dejounte Murray, assuming he's healthy, is a table-setter who can get Mathurin easy looks in transition and in the halfcourt, something Indiana's crowded backcourt never fully gave him. Zion remains the engine of the offense when healthy, drawing so much interior attention that a cutter and slasher like Mathurin becomes a natural release valve. And Derik Queen, the rookie big man New Orleans added, gives them another young piece who can run the floor and finish, which only helps open things up further for a player like Mathurin who thrives in space.

There's also the defensive versatility to consider. Mathurin isn't a lockdown defender, but he competes and has the physical tools to guard multiple positions, which matters for a Pelicans team that's needed more perimeter toughness.

The bigger question is cost. Restricted free agency means Indiana can match any offer, so New Orleans would need to be aggressive enough to either pry him away outright or force the Pacers into a tough financial decision. But given the fit with Murphy, Murray, Zion, and Queen, and the fact that New Orleans already showed real interest before the deadline, it's not hard to see why the Pelicans would push to make Mathurin part of their young core going forward.