Pelicans Announce Roster Cuts Ahead Of Regular Season, Including Hometown Guard

New Orleans reduces its roster to 14 contracts, with one open spot that can be filled later.

Mar 20, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the first quarter at Amway Center. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

With less than a week before the NBA regular season starts, the New Orleans Pelicans have trimmed down their roster to 17 spots, including three players on two-way contracts. The roster cuts include Keion Brooks Jr., Trhae Mitchell, Josh Oduro, and hometown hero Elfrid Payton. New Orleans now has 14 standard contracts on the roster, with one more spot available if they choose to use it.

Payton 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, 10 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.

During the preseason, the former first-round pick played in two of the team's three preseason games, averaging three points, four rebounds, and five assists per game. His seven assists against the Miami Heat were a game-high. Now, he is looking to continue his NBA journey on another team.

The Pelicans head into the regular season with many unanswered questions. New Orleans went 1-2 during the preseason, with a lackluster performance in Houston earlier this week. The issues many people suspected the team would deal with due to their lack of size came to fruition against the Rockets.

Houston outscored the Pelicans 60-36 in the paint and outrebounded them by double-digits. New Orleans star Zion Williamson did not play in the final game, a decision made by the team to give him a rest day. On Tuesday, his teammate Brandon Ingram played his only preseason game against the Rockets. He scored 18 points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished three assists in 21 minutes of play.

The Pelicans 'Big 3' of Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson didn't get a chance to play together during the preseason, and must now see how quickly they can build chemistry and continuity when the season begins. That starts on Wednesday at home against the Chicago Bulls at the Smoothie King Center.