New Orleans Pelicans Sign Luke Babbitt

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Published: February 5, 2014

The New Orleans Pelicans have signed Luke Babbitt.

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed forward Luke Babbitt. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not released.

Babbit [sic], who was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round (16th overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft and traded to the Portland Trail Blazers on draft day, joins the Pelicans after playing part of the 2013-14 season for Nizhny Novgorod (Russia).

Babbit [sic] appeared in 18 games for Novgorod and averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.

Entering his fourth NBA season, Babbitt has appeared in 126 games for Portland and holds career averages of 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Babbitt will wear No. 8 and will be available for tomorrow night’s contest against Atlanta.

The Pelicans roster now stands at 15.

Though the team is not commenting on the deal, it is reportedly for 2 seasons (this being one) for the minimum salary, with the second being a team option. Babbitt was a first round pick (16th) for the Timberwolves, who then included him in a deal with the Trail Blazers for Martell Webster. His fourth year option was declined, and he played in Russia for part of this season after not being picked up by an NBA team. The Pelicans have reached a buyout, presumably involving the profit from the Tyshawn Taylor exchange, as discussed over the weekend.

You can study up on Babbitt at basketball reference, us basket, and draft express.

On In the NO, Ryan and Michael reasoned that Babbitt’s shooting skill may have the effect of opening up the lane a little more for Tyreke in the absence of Ryan Anderson. As such, this could also be a sign that they are preparing to be without Anderson for a while, if not the rest of the season.

With the roster reaching 15, the Pelicans can not accept more player in trade than they send out, nor can they sign a free agent, without first waiving a player or making a trade that results in a smaller roster. This is just something to keep in mind as the trade deadline approaches. The Pelicans players all have contracts guaranteed for the balance of this season, according to available information.

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