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According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the New Orleans Pelicans will sign DeAndre Liggins to a 10-day contract on Wednesday. The 6’-6” wing man will be available to play in the team’s next five games on the schedule, starting tomorrow in Memphis against the Grizzlies, as his contract is valid until January 19th.
Liggins was waived by the Bucks over the weekend as Milwaukee decided to go in a different direction and sign Joel Bolomboy, who was on a two-way contract, to a standard NBA contract.
With Solomon Hill, Tony Allen, Alexis Ajinca and Frank Jackson out for the foreseeable future, New Orleans was able to sign Liggins via an injury exemption. Consequently, it’s not difficult to fathom we will not see Allen, who was originally scheduled to miss 3-4 weeks on December 10th, before Liggins’ contract expires.
Also, as Mason Ginsberg aptly points out, the Pelicans likely wouldn’t have spent their limited remaining luxury tax space dollars if the coaching staff doesn’t plan on utilizing Liggins.
DeAndre Liggins will earn $89,109 on his 10-Day Contract with New Orleans having a $83,129 cap hit. The Pelicans are now $706,678 below the luxury tax. Liggins 10-Day will expire on January 19th.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 10, 2018
DeAndre Liggins had appeared in 31 games for the Bucks, averaging 15.5 minutes but producing only 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds. Liggins is primarily known for his defensive exploits, having been awarded the G League Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2016.
Prior to entering the NBA, Liggins spent three seasons as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats under Head Coach John Calipari. During his sophomore campaign in 2009-10, he was teammates alongside many notable players including John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins and Darius Miller.