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?
New Orleans Pelicans: What does James Nunnally add?
It seems to me like the New Orleans Pelicans are bringing in James Nunnally to add shooting and further fill out the team’s wing positions.
At a surface level, both of those things are good news. The Pels need to surround Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and especially Zion Williamson with shooting. Nunnally was a sniper abroad, only having shot below 38 percent from three once in his career. In his last four seasons, Nunnally has shot 53 percent, 51 percent, 45 percent, and 51 percent from downtown.
As for the wings, the Pels only have Naji Marshall and Wes Iwundu available there right now. Josh Hart is out of action with a thumb injury, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker who can also feasibly play as a wing is injured with an ankle sprain. James Johnson has outperformed expectations but is more of a point forward if anything.
Marshall and Iwundu have done relatively well, particularly the former, but reinforcements are welcome. Nunnally has good size at 6-foot-7 and has some NBA experience, even if only mostly on 10-day contracts and Summer League experience.
When the UC Santa Barbara product signed with the Timberwolves in 2018, his comments then almost reflect the situations in New Orleans today. Nunnally explained that “need for outside shooting kind of [him and the Timberwolves] to each other,.” That’s definitely true in New Orleans.
Nunnally was also cognizant of his role, which seems like it will be similar for the Pels. Abroad, he “[guarded] the best players and basically [knocked] down the open shots.” That will be needed of him for the Pelicans.
If Nunnally can relieve some defensive responsibilities from the Pels’ best players and make his threes like we know he can do, then that’s already a win.
New Orleans Pelicans: What Nunnally means for future roster moves
The New Orleans Pelicans will have some decisions to make over the next few weeks as regards their roster.
In order to bring in Nunnally, the Pels had to waive Will Magnay. The Pels showed some investment in Magnay when they brought him to the United States after a few seasons in the Australian league, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him get cut. However, the Aussie center may not be done yet.
The Pels are close to the luxury tax, so this will definitely play an important role in the roster moves that are made before the end of the season. ESPN front office analyst Bobby Marks explains this complicated situation better than I could:
Here is what a sample timeline would look like for New Orleans to stay under the tax and sign 2 players:
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 13, 2021
4/27- 1 Ten-Day Contract (now $142,805 below)
5/11- Can sign 2 players ($66,599 each) to a rest of the season contract https://t.co/U63jt8ikDa
One scenario is that I could see occurring is the Pelicans eventually signing Naji Marshall to an NBA contract—upgrading his two-way status—and also bringing in someone else. That spot could go to Magnay again, to Isaiah Thomas who was on a 10-day contract until this week, or someone else.
Personally, I would be more interested in seeing what Magnay can add to the team. Even if he doesn’t get actual playing time, keeping him around to develop and playing him in the Summer League next season would be nice. Thomas makes sense as a veteran addition, but I don’t know if he would count for much unless the Pels make the playoffs or at least the play-in tournament.