Just four days ahead of their highly-anticipated Summer League premier against the New York Knicks, the Pelicans released their roster for the set of NBA scrimmages hosted in Las Vegas running from July 5-15.
Headlining New Orleans’ roster is the league’s latest No. 1 pick from the June 20 draft, Zion Williamson, who made his Crescent City debut in front of fans young and old at the team’s Goretti Playground court dedication ceremony on June 22. He will have a chance to face off against his former Blue Devils teammate R.J. Barrett, who was taken third overall by the Knicks this year.
Three Pelicans from last year’s regular-season roster will also take the court with this summer’s squad, including Frank Jackson, who also played in Summer League a year ago, as well as the team’s rookie standout Kenrich Williams and Christian Wood, who ended last season on a tear with his new team.
Trevon Bluiett and Tony Carr also return from last summer’s team. Bluiett is still under a two-way contract with New Orleans after playing four seasons at Xavier, while Carr spent his first pro season playing in Italy after the Pelicans selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft.
Other players who just finished their college basketball careers who landed on the Pelicans Summer League roster include: Jalen Adams (UConn), Javon Bess (St. Louis), Zylan Cheatham (Arizona State) and Aubrey Dawkins (Central Florida).
The franchise’s other two first-round draft picks, No. 8 Jaxson Hayes and No. 17 Nickeil Alexander-Walker, won’t have a chance to join the team until the Pelicans’ trade with the Lakers for Anthony Davis is complete, as early as July 6. Both players’ draft rights were traded to New Orleans by Atlanta in exchange for the fourth-overall pick the Pelicans received from Los Angeles in exchange for Davis.
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