Former New Orleans Pelicans Guard Rejoins Team on Training Camp Deal

The New Orleans native has been out of the NBA since 2022, but the Pelicans signed him to a training camp deal.

Apr 7, 2019; Sacramento, CA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (4) dribbles the ball while being defended by Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans open their training camp on October 1st at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. New Orleans' training facility, Oschner Sports Performance Center, is undergoing the final phase of renovations ahead of the regular season. Reports surfaced on Thursday that former Pelicans' guard Elfrid Payton agreed to a training camp deal with the team.

Elfrid Payton has agreed to a training camp deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, sources tell ESPN.

Payton, an Ehret graduate and Gretna native, last played in the NBA in 2022. The 30-year-old played one season with the Pelicans in 2018-19.

Payton is represented by @_tandemse.

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) September 19, 2024

Elfrid is a New Orleans native who grew up in Gretna suburbia and graduated from John Ehret High School. The former No. 10 overall pick in the 2014 draft played three and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic before being traded to the Phoenix Suns. After his stint with the Suns, he signed a one-year deal with the hometown Pelicans.

Payton impressed in his debut in a Pelicans jersey, recording a triple-double with 10 points, ten rebounds, and 10 assists. He made a bit of history at the time, becoming the fifth player in NBA history to record five straight triple-doubles in a season. Payton started 42 games for the year and scored 10.6 points, a career-high 7.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds. He signed a multi-year deal with the Knicks the following summer. Payton has not played in the NBA since 2022.

Izaiah Brockington also signed a training camp deal with New Orleans. Brockington has been in and out of the Pelicans organization since going undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way contract with the team that year but was subsequently waived. New Orleans re-signed him the following fall, appearing with the team's G League affiliate Birmingham Squadron. He returns to join New Orleans in Nashville at the beginning of October.

The team has their roster filled at 15 spots heading into the year. New Orleans is especially deep at guard and the wing position, with the frontcourt needing to add quality deep after losing all their experience from last summer. Jonas Valanciunas, Cody Zeller, and Larry Nance, Jr. have gone after various trades this summer.

Yves Missi was drafted by the Pelicans in the first round of this year's NBA Draft. Because of his lack of basketball history and raw talent, he projects to be a developmental project. New Orleans also signed center Daniel Theis this offseason, but he is undersized at 6 feet 9 inches. The Pelicans will experiment with many small lineups to compensate for their lack of size.

They still have star forward Zion Williamson on the roster. The two-time All-Star played a career-high 70 games last year. New Orleans will heavily count on him to stay healthy so the Pelicans can compete in the Western Conference.