The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly made their first signing of the free agency period on Sunday, inking big man Willy Hernangomez to a minimum one-year deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Hernangomez spent last season with Charlotte, playing in 31 games and averaging 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 53.2% from the field. While not a stretch big man, Hernangomez does have some range, though he shot just 22.7% from three last season on 22 attempts. In the season prior, the Spaniard shot 38.5% from range, though again on a small sample size of 39 attempts.
With Jahlil Okafor reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Detroit Pistons, Hernangomez likely fills the role of third-string center. His ability to step out and stretch the floor even a little bit offers something Okafor could not and gives more spacing to the team, which is likely a priority to the Pelicans this year. In a season as compacted as the 2020-21 season figures to be, Hernangomez might see more minutes than typically would be allotted to third-string centers as well.
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