New Orleans has gotten themselves a new big man.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed center Daniel Theis to a one-year deal on Monday morning. Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news via X.
Theis is a 6’8″ big man that will be entering his ninth NBA season. His first three and a half years were spent with the Boston Celtics, where he recorded most of his starts before getting traded to the Chicago Bulls during the 2020-2021 season, averaging 10 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23 games.
Following that short stint with Chicago, Theis packed his bags for Houston and then got traded back to Boston before the trade deadline. Since then, the 32-year-old signed with the Indiana Pacers but played in eight games over the 22′-23′ and 23′-24′ seasons but got traded early on in 2023 to the Los Angeles Clippers.
In his 59 games with the Clippers, Theis averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and .9 blocks. As a career, the journeyman center has scored 7.4 points, grabbed 4.8 boards, and almost blocked a shot in every game as he played in 19 minutes per contest.
Theis’ game is offensively driven with his ability to score in the paint and shoot the three ball but creates scoring opportunities for teammates by setting screens.
The addition of Theis to the front court comes after the Pelicans selected Baylor center Yves Missi with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. New Orleans will likely acquire another big man to fill out that position but there are questions about whether or not Brandon Ingram would be included if the Pels front office traded for one.