The New Orleans Pelicans’ unusual decision to give DeAndre Jordan a fully guaranteed two-year contract was not an accounting accident, according to new reporting.
Sources familiar with the organization’s thinking say New Orleans believed Jordan was prepared to accept a one-year minimum contract with another team. Rather than risk losing a respected veteran presence, the Pelicans guaranteed a second season to convince the 37-year-old center to stay.
That explanation gives the deal more context, even if it does not erase the financial questions surrounding it.
Jordan reportedly signed a two-year, $7.9 million minimum-salary contract with both seasons guaranteed. Because the NBA’s veteran-minimum reimbursement mechanism generally applies to qualifying one-year deals, the multiyear structure leaves New Orleans responsible for Jordan’s full salary and larger cap charge rather than having the league cover part of the veteran premium.
In other words, the Pelicans knew they were paying extra. They simply decided Jordan’s influence was worth it.
That belief is not difficult to understand. Jordan played only 12 games for New Orleans last season, averaging 4.4 points and 6.3 rebounds, but his biggest contribution came away from the box score. He won the 2026 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, an honor voted on by NBA players and designed to recognize leadership, mentorship, selflessness and commitment to the team.
For a young roster, that can matter. Jordan has completed 18 NBA seasons, played in high-pressure environments and won a championship with Denver. He understands the difference between being out of the rotation and becoming disconnected, and the Pelicans apparently valued his ability to remain engaged despite receiving limited playing time.
Still, the contract presents a fair debate.
New Orleans did not give two guaranteed years to a player expected to transform its frontcourt. It did so to retain a locker-room leader. That is an expensive use of a roster spot when the team could theoretically have signed another veteran mentor on a one-year deal and received the league reimbursement.
But the Pelicans clearly believed Jordan was not interchangeable. If another team was offering him a simpler one-year path, New Orleans needed to provide something extra. The second guaranteed season became the price of keeping him.
So the deal may not have resulted from Joe Dumars misunderstanding the rules, as some critics speculated. It appears to have been a deliberate choice: spend more money, accept the additional cap cost and prevent an important veteran voice from walking away.
