Bennedict Mathurin to sign with Pelicans, face Pacers in season opener

The Pacers will get to see old friend Bennedict Mathurin again in their season opener.

The Pacers ' third-leading rookie scorer in franchise history will sign a two-year, $16 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans , ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday morning. Mathurin was traded to the Clippers as part of the February deal that brought Ivica Zubac to Indiana , and the Clippers have an opportunity to match the Pelicans' offer as a restricted free agent, but Charania and Jake Fischer of the Stein Line reported that the Clippers will work to make sure the deal works out and Mathurin goes to New Orleans .

The Pacers play the Pelicans in New Orleans on Oct. 21.

Former Pacer Bennedict Mathurin through the years

The Pacers selected Mathurin with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, making him the Pacers' highest selection since Rik Smits was taken No. 2 overall in 1988. He responded by scoring the third-most points by a rookie in the Pacers' NBA history with 16.7 per game and a total of 1,302 points. Only Clark Kellogg and Chuck Person scored more as Pacers rookies. Mathurin also became the first Pacers rookie since Smits to be named first-team All-Rookie.

In the next three-plus seasons, Mathurin struggled to connect with the high-paced, ball-movement driven offense built around All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton as he is more of an isolation, one-on-one scorer by nature. However, when they needed someone to put his head down and go get a bucket -- particularly someone off the bench -- Mathurin was often the answer. He averaged 16.1 points per game in nearly four seasons with the Pacers. That included 17.6 points per game in 2025-26 when he often started on a squad that was snakebit by injuries and 16.1 per game on the 2024-25 team that reached the NBA Finals. He averaged a more modest 11.0 points per game in the 2025 playoffs -- he missed the 2024 postseason with a torn labrum -- but he cracked the 20-point mark five times in those playoffs with 20 in a Game 4 win over the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals and 27 in a Game 3 win over the Thunder in the Finals.

The Pacers and Mathurin apparently couldn't agree on terms for a potential extension beyond his rookie-scale deal, which ended at the end of this season so he was an obvious piece to include in the Zubac trade to be able to match salary. The Pacers also sent center Isaiah Jackson and three draft picks to the Clippers including, conditionally, their 2026 first-round pick. The Pacers would have kept the selection if it landed in the top four or from 10-30, but it landed at No. 5 and the Clippers used the selection to pick Keaton Wagler .

Mathurin had struggles with the Clippers which obviously hurt his market value going into restricted free agency. He averaged 17.4 points per game in 26 games with Los Angeles , but shot just 42.6% from the floor -- worse than any of his seasons with the Pacers -- and made just 20.7% of his 3-pointers (17 of 82).

Are the Pacers better with Kelly Oubre or Bennedict Mathurin ?

The Pacers ended up signing a wing to effectively replace Mathurin for about the same money, giving Kelly Oubre Jr. $17 million over two years. Oubre might not have Mathurin's scoring potential and he's 30 while Mathurin just turned 24 in June.

However, the 6-8 Oubre gives the Pacers' more positional versatility than the 6-5 Mathurin. He's a much more accomplished defender and still a very good scorer. Over 11 seasons, he's averaged 13.3 points per game and averaged at least 14 per game in each of the last eight seasons with a high-water mark of 20.3 in 2022-23. He's also averaged at least 1.0 steals per game in each of the last nine seasons and with a 7-foot wingspan, he can guard any position from point guard to power forward. Mathurin may have more ability to create offense for himself and others, but Oubre can score off the bounce, from outside and in transition and can make plays on the defensive end that create offense.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter .

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