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Within the hour the four-team trade sending Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe to New Orleans became official, the Pelicans came to terms with Willy Hernangomez, agreeing to a one-year, minimum contract.
Free agent center Willy Hernangomez has agreed to a one-year, minimum deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, agent Guillermo Bermejo of YouFirst and Tandem Sports tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 22, 2020
Hernangomez will slot in behind Steven Adams, competing with Jaxson Hayes for minutes at the back-up center position.
The 26-year-old spent 1.5 seasons with the New York Knicks and the last 2.5 NBA seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.
Following a strong finish to his rookie season, where he walked away with Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for April, Hernangomez was named to the 2017 All-NBA Rookie Team.
In his last season with the Hornets, Hernangomez posted averages of 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds across 31 games in nearly 12 minutes per contest; however, those statistics somewhat disguise the fact that Willy is an incredibly good rebounder. In a total of 3006 minutes in the league, Hernangomez has a career total rebounding percentage of 20.3% (13.9 OREB%, 26.9 DREB%) — he’s a rebounding machine.
The Pelicans’ roster now stands at 10 players, with Brandon Ingram and Kira Lewis Jr. awaiting new contracts.
Stay tuned for more free agency news as it breaks!
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