Jameer Nelson, Pelicans Reportedly Agree to 1-Year Contract

The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent guard Jameer Nelson on Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. The Pelicans released Jordan Crawford to make room for Nelson, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The NBA denied the Pelicans' appeal to guarantee an injury exception contract for Crawford, so to get Nelson they, had to waive him, per Wojnarowski.

The Denver Nuggets waived the 35-year-old Nelson on Thursday after they signed veteran forward Richard Jefferson. Earlier, Wojnarowski reported the Houston Rockets, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Pelicans were all interested in his services.

Nelson will be entering his 14th NBA season, and he is coming off a solid year as a part-time starter for the Nuggets.

The 2004 first-round pick out of Saint Joseph's appeared in 75 games last season, starting 39 and averaging 9.2 points, 5.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds per contest.

New Orleans may have the biggest need of reportedly interested teams, as it was already thin at guard entering the 2017-18 season and got even thinner when Rajon Rondo landed on the injured list because of a sports hernia.

The Pelicans have arguably the NBA's best interior duo in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins but have little to speak of outside.

Although Jrue Holiday is a solid starting point guard, the likes of Jordan Crawford, Ian Clark and E'Twaun Moore leave something to be desired.

Until Rondo returns, Nelson and Holiday could see some action together on the floor, and then Nelson can provide quality depth later in the season.

Nelson is far removed from his lone All-Star season in 2008-09, but with career averages of 11.7 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, he is a solid addition to the roster.

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