New Orleans Pelicans: What can new signing James Nunnally add?

The New Orleans Pelicans have a new addition to their roster in the form of James Nunnally, a EuroLeague veteran and international basketball journeyman with minute NBA stints.

Nunnally is being signed to a two-way contract by New Orleans, who waived Australian big man Will Magnay in the process. Magnay played decently for the Erie BayHawks in the G League bubble but did not appear to feature in Stan Van Gundy’s plans. He had played just three minutes all season.

It’s interesting that the Pelicans chose Nunnally to fill that roster vacancy because, at first glance, there isn’t a whole lot of upside in this play. The former UC Santa Barbara standout is already 30-years-old and has been a pro for nearly a decade. But while Nunnally himself might not have a lot of potential left to squeeze out, I do think that this decision could benefit both sides.

Going back to 2012, Nunnally has had horrible luck trying to make it to the NBA. The California native went undrafted after his senior season; from there, he embarked on what has been a whirlwind of a journey, starting with Kavala in Greece’s first division. Nunnally’s period in Greece lasted a handful of months before returning to the United States to play in the NBA G League (then the D League).

From there, a few 10-day contracts came and went. Nunnally was with the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers for a minute, but they were ultimately unconvinced. He also had some Summer League appearances with the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.

Ultimately, Nunnally had little choice but to pursue a future abroad. He had small stints with Estudiantes in Spain, Maccabi Ashdod in Israel, and Felice Scandone Avellino in Italy before an actual long run with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe.

Nunnally enjoyed his time in Turkey, winning the Turkish League twice, the Turkish Cup twice, and the EuroLeague—the second best competition in world basketball—once. After experiencing success in European basketball, it seemed like Nunnally was finally going to get a real NBA chance upon signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, he was waived after playing just 13 times in the Twin Cities. Nunnally eventually got a 10-day contract from the Houston Rockets, but he was waived five days later in order to make room for Kenneth Faried. This was a valid cause for criticism of the NBA at the time since the Rockets were unable to give Nunnally a real chance because the league’s office was closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day despite teams and players working.

After that, Nunnally returned to Europe, including another few months with Fenerbahçe, and also played in China. Now that he is in New Orleans, what can Nunnally contribute to the team?