Larry Nance Jr. and Pelicans Agree to a 2-Year, $21.6 Million Extension

Larry Nance Jr. with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018
Larry Nance Jr. with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Photo by Jevone Moore/Cal Sport Media/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

The New Orleans continued to use the offseason to lock their most important players to long-term deals. After veteran guard CJ McCollum recently signed an extension, the Pelicans also gave a new contract to forward/center Larry Nance Jr.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Nance inked a two-year extension worth $21.6 million. The 29-year-old player is now under contract for three more seasons. He was entering the final year of the four-year, $48 million contract he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018.

Larry Nance Jr. arrived in New Orleans midway through 2021-22 as part of the trade that also landed McCollum with the Pelicans. He managed to play only nine games in the regular season due to a knee injury but ended up being a key player for the team during the play-in tournament. This included a 14 points and 16 rebounds performance against the Los Angeles Clippers that secured the Pelicans a playoff sport as the eighth seed in Western Conference. 

Nance Jr. entered the NBA as a late first-round selection by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft. He later also played with the Cavs and the Portland Trail Blazers. Nance averaged 8.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game throughout his seven seasons in the league.