Pelicans make decision on third-year forward's contract

The Pelicans plan to promote forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a two-year standard contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Robinson-Earl is currently on a two-way deal with New Orleans.

A league source tells Christian Clark of NOLA.com that the second season of Robinson-Earl’s new contract features a team option.

After playing two college seasons at Villanova, Robinson-Earl was selected with the 32nd pick of the 2021 draft. He spent his first two NBA seasons with the Thunder, but he was traded to Houston in October and subsequently released by the Rockets before the 2023-24 season began. The 23-year-old caught on with the Pelicans the following week, with the deal made official on his birthday (Nov. 3).

A 6-foot-9 big man, Robinson-Earl hasn’t played much for New Orleans this season, logging just 10.0 MPG across 21 appearances. He has averaged 3.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG over that span, with an impressive .517/.364/.909 shooting line, but the sample size is very small.

The Pelicans have two openings on their standard roster, so they won’t need to waive anyone to convert Robinson-Earl. In addition to a standard roster spot, they’ll also have an open two-way slot once the move is official.

As our tracker shows, Robinson-Earl will be the 11th player to be promoted from a two-way deal to a standard contract in 2023-24.