It's been a banner season for standout Pelicans rookies, and the one nobody expected cashed in big heading into the final stretch of the 2021-'22 season.
Undrafted guard Jose Alvarado agreed to terms on a 4-year, $6.5 million deal in New Orleans, according to a report from The Athletic, a deal that also bumps up the $800,000 he was set to earn this season to $1.5 million.
Alvarado was an unheralded guard coming out of Georgia Tech, but he's carved out a clear role on this Pelicans squad as his feisty defense and playmaking has been a key element in what's spurred the Pelicans to the precipice of a play-in bid with averaged of 6.1 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.
His biggest set of performances came earlier in March with averages of 19 points, 3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in games against the Bulls and Spurs.
It's the second consecutive season the Pelicans have taken full advantage of the two-way contract system, with forward Naji Marshall cashing in on a long-term deal after standout performances a year ago. New Orleans has also seen a significant impact from its top two draft selections in Herb Jones, who is currently 3rd in the NBA in steals, and Trey Murphy, who has come on of late and poured in 21 points off the bench to help spur a Pelicans rally from 23 points down in a clutch win over the Lakers on Sunday.
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The Pelicans are now in sole possession of the 9th seed in the Western Conference, which would set the team up to host a play-in game against the 10th seed, a spot currently held by that same Lakers squad.