Larry Nance Jr. likely to make Pelicans debut on Thursday
The last time that Larry Nance Jr. took the floor in an NBA game, he was in a Portland Trail Blazers uniform. Now 11 weeks later — and just over six weeks since being traded — it sounds like the former first-round pick is ready to make his debut with his new team.
Following two-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and three-plus years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Nance Jr. was traded to the Trail Blazers in August 2021 as part of a three-team deal that also included the Chicago Bulls. The blockbuster sent former first team All-Rookie Lauri Markkanen from Chicago to Cleveland and Derrick Jones Jr. from Portland to Chicago as well, and included a host of future draft selections.
Nance Jr. played in 37 games (11 starts) with the Trail Blazers this season before suffering a knee injury in early January that has sidelined him since. Nance Jr. was acquired by the Pelicans on Feb. 8 along with star guard CJ McCollum and veteran Tony Snell in exchange for a package of players and draft picks that featured Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart and others.
With 10 games left in their regular season, New Orleans has a 30-42 record, would be the No. 10 seed if the season ended on Wednesday and is two games ahead of the 11th place San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
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