Kendrick Perkins to Sign with Pelicans: Latest Contract Details and Reaction

Kendrick Perkins and the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to terms on a one-year deal at the veteran minimum, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Royce Young of ESPN.com confirmed Stein's report. 

Former Brooklyn Nets salary-cap guru Bobby Marks reported Perkins' veteran-minimum payout will clock in at $1.49 million with a cap hit of $947,000.     

Perkins was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers after getting waived by the Utah Jazz following last season's trade deadline, and the reigning Eastern Conference champions simply didn't have a spot for the free-agent center in a crowded frontcourt including Timofey Mozgov, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao. Restricted free agent Tristan Thompson also has a contract situation that still needs to be sorted out. 

"Great locker room guy," LeBron James said of Perkins on Feb. 24, according to Northeast Ohio Media Group's Joe Vardon. "All he cares about is winning."

Perkins now joins a Pelicans team loaded with big bodies up front. 

Beyond Anthony Davis at the 4, the Pelicans re-signed Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca to maintain solid depth at center. And while Perkins may not provide much in the way of statistical output, his ability to act as a solid locker room presence for an up-and-coming squad in a fiercely competitive Western Conference could be worth the cheap cost of acquisition.

As Bleacher Report's Michael Pina observed, Perkins can also act as a bodyguard of sorts for the franchise centerpiece:

In fact, Young reported Perkins would serve as a mentor to Davis, per Stein. 

Last season, Perkins averaged 3.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.6 blocks over the course of 16.9 minutes per game. 

Although playing time may be hard to come by for the 30-year-old big, Perkins can help impart veteran wisdom to Davis and the rest of New Orleans' young guns as they seek to build on the franchise's first postseason berth since 2011.