Young guard Lester Quinones has become the second former Golden State Warriors player to sign with a Western Conference rival team over the past 48 hours, with 2022 first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. having signed a two-way deal with the L.A. Clippers on Saturday.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported early on Sunday that Quinones had signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, giving the 24-year-old an opportunity to revive his career following stints with the Warriors and most recently the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lester Quinones could get a perfect opportunity with the Pelicans
After originally going undrafted in 2022, Quinones was twice on two-way contracts with Golden State before ending last season on a standard contract following the trade deadline. The 6'5" guard ultimately played 41 games with the franchise, including 37 last season where he averaged over 10 minutes and shot 36.4% from 3-point range.
The Warriors quickly signalled their intention not to retain Quinones when they failed to tender a qualifying offer, leaving him as an unrestricted free agent. He was forced to wait much of the offseason for a new deal, eventually landing a two-way contract with the 76ers in September.
However, Quinones would play just four games and 18 total minutes in Philadelphia before he was waived. The former Memphis Tigers product has since played in the G League with the Birmingham Squadron where he's put up 22.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 44.2% from the floor and 35.7% from 3-point range.
Signing with the Pelicans may provide the perfect opportunity for Quinones to try and revive his career, with the injury-riddled franchise out of the playoff picture and therefore closing in on a point where they may provide more playing time to their young players.
New Orleans are trying to remain competitive for now, having won four of their past six games including three in a row prior to Friday's loss against the Phoenix Suns. They may also look to continue growing the value of former number one overall pick Zion Williamson who's averaged nearly 27 points on over 64% shooting across his last eight games.
Still, the Pelicans may reach a position where they truly shut down their season and provide someone like Quinones with an opportunity to showcase his skillset. They could probably do with his high-volume 3-point shooting anyway, with New Orleans ranked bottom 10 in both 3-point attempts and 3-point percentage this season.
