Bennedict Mathurin’s two-year deal with the Pelicans was reported last month to be worth $16MM, but the official contract actually came in a little below that, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Mathurin will earn a guaranteed salary worth $7,500,000 in 2026/27, with a second-year player option for ’27/28 worth $7,875,000. As a result, the guard’s new contract has a total value of $15,375,000.

The Pelicans, who completed Mathurin’s deal using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, still have almost exactly half of that exception available ($7,544,000). However, New Orleans is operating just $4.1MM away from the luxury tax line and $5.7MM from its hard cap at the first apron, per Yossi Gozlan of CapSheets, so if the team is going to use the rest of its MLE at some point during the preseason or season, it would need to shed a little salary in the process.

We have a few more items of interest from around the Southwest:

• Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was the subject of NBA rumors in June when reporting indicated the Mavericks had interest in speaking to him about their head coaching position. Although he didn’t mention Dallas specifically, Scheyer explained this week in an appearance on the Glue Guys podcast why he wasn’t interested in leaving the Blue Devils for an NBA job. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself, not seeing this thing through,” Scheyer said, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “I mean, that’s just the bottom line. And I’m at a one-of-one place where not often you get your dream job when you’re 33. I’m really proud of the start we’ve gone off to and the continuation of what has been built here, but I think we got so much left to do. I just think we have so much left to accomplish. This is where my family is. This is home for me.”
• Matt MacKenzie, Cooper Flagg’s longtime trainer, spoke to Mark Medina of RG.org about how the reigning Rookie of the Year spent the offseason and how new Mavericks head coach Dusty May hopes to further develop Flagg’s game in year two and beyond, among other topics. “(May) has very high expectations for Cooper not only as a scorer, but as a complete player, as a play-maker and as somebody that plays both sides of the ball,” MacKenzie said.
• Having been traded to the 60-win Pistons to the 25-win Grizzlies this offseason, big man Isaiah Stewart says he’s nonetheless “excited” about his new opportunity in Memphis, pointing out during a community event on Saturday that going through a successful rebuilding process in Detroit allows him to provide a unique perspective as part of a young Grizzlies roster. “It’s an experience I can bring here to this group,” Stewart said, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “And also just letting them know it’s about patience. We have to stack days. It doesn’t happen overnight.”