Alexis Ajinca, Pelicans Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

The New Orleans Pelicans are evidently intent on making sure their frontcourt is secure for the future, agreeing to terms with Alexis Ajinca on a four-year, $20 million free-agent contract, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

An excited Ajinca took to Twitter to confirm the report:

"

I'm very excited to say that I will be a Pelican for 4 more years! I'm so happy to be back home.. Let's win a championship! #TakeFlight

— Alexis Ajinça (@AjincaAlexis42) July 1, 2015"

Dante Cunningham provided further confirmation on July 9 once the free-agent moratorium was lifted.

This development comes just hours after Stein reported Pelicans star big man Anthony Davis would receive a new contract amounting to approximately $145 million over five years.

Ajinca doesn't make near the impact Davis does, but the Frenchman has unique size as a legitimate 7-footer and made the most of his opportunities this last season. The 27-year-old had per 36-minute averages of 16.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, and he was also an 81.8 percent free-throw shooter.

Although New Orleans has reportedly done well to make sure its face of the franchise in Davis is taken care of, its salary-cap spending elsewhere leaves room for criticism.

CBSSports.com's Matt Moore was among those who thought Ajinca may have been a bit overpaid:

"

Ya’ll, Al-Farouq Aminu and Alexis Ajinca got $50 million combined. Friends don’t let friends raise their athlete kids to be football players

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 1, 2015"

The Pelicans are rumored to want center Omer Asik to return next season and will reportedly make a push to keep him, yet they've just paid Ajinca like a starter.

Extrapolating Ajinca's production while averaging just 14.1 minutes in 2014-15 is an exciting conjectural exercise, but it doesn't guarantee he can keep that up if his role increases. It's almost as though Ajinca will be expected to play somewhere in that stratosphere based on the contract he's being rewarded with.

The frontcourt rotation in New Orleans could become too convoluted if Ajinca and Asik are both on the roster. As promising as the Pelicans' nucleus is with Davis leading the way, they need more firepower on the perimeter, which was evident when they were swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors.