The New Orleans Pelicans and free agent center DeAndre Jordan have agreed to a one-year contract with a minimum salary, agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN. Shams Charania on Friday.
Pelicans signed DeAndre Jordan after waiving Jaden Springer
New Orleans opened a spot on the standard 15-man roster on Thursday by waiving guard Jaden Springer. Springer’s $2.46 million salary for the season was not guaranteed.
Jordan, 37, is a three-time All-NBA center who has led the league in rebounding twice, finished second in blocks three times and won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.
The 6-foot-1 big man was selected 35th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the 2008 draft out of Texas A&M. He played in 1,111 regular season games (791 starts) for a total of seven teams.
Free agent center DeAndre Jordan will sign a one-year deal worth $3.6 million with the New Orleans Pelicans, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. The former All-NBA big man and 2023 champion is entering his 18th season in the league. pic.twitter.com/kDRJE4Cnem
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2025
Jordan isn’t making the same offensive impact as earlier in his career, but he still saw some playing time for the Nuggets in recent years as one of Nikola Jokic’s backups.
Last season, Jordan played 56 regular-season games (five starts), averaging 3.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 12.3 minutes per game while shooting 65% from the field and 42.2% from the free-throw line.
In Denver’s 126-103 home victory over the Clippers on Jan. 8, the two-time All-Defensive member recorded a season-high 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes of action.
New Orleans added Jordan amid frontcourt injuries
Since the Pelicans already had 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, they opted to add another center to fill their 15th roster spot as their frontcourt has been decimated by injuries.
Projected starting big man Kevon Looney is currently sidelined with a left knee sprain, while centers Yves Missi (right ankle sprain) and Karlo Matkovic (lower back spasms) are listed as questionable to play Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Rookie center Derik Queen is now available, but he missed the entire preseason while recovering from wrist surgery. The Maryland product played just 15 minutes in Wednesday’s opener.
After the Spurs game on Friday, the Pelicans will host the Boston Celtics on Oct. 27 before embarking on a three-game road trip at Denver, the Clippers and Oklahoma City.
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