The Pelicans have officially signed Julian Reese to a two-way contract.

September 28th - According to NBA.com , the New Orleans Pelicans have officially signed forward Julian Reese to a two-way contract. With Reese's addition, the Pelicans now have a full 21- man offseason roster, including 15 players on standard contracts, 3 on two-way contracts, and 3 on Exhibit 9 contracts.

Reese played four years at the University of Maryland and went undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft . In his final college season, he played alongside current New Orleans Pelicans center Derrick Quinn. Reese spent most of the 2025-26 season with the Toronto Raptors before signing a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards in late February .

Towards the end of last season, Reese played 13 games for the Wizards , starting 10 of them, averaging 30.9 minutes , 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Additionally, he played 41 games for the Raptors 905 and the Wizards' G League affiliate , averaging 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.

In August of this year , Reese was traded from the Wizards to the Denver Nuggets in a five-team trade involving Payton Watson , and was subsequently waived by the Nuggets, becoming a free agent. After joining the Pelicans, he will share one of the team's three two-way contract slots with Jalen Pierre and Malik Diaz . According to the contract, Reese can play a maximum of 50 regular-season games for the Pelicans next season .

Image source: Internet