Pelicans sign former Pacers forward Solomon Hill

That may be a lofty comparison but Hill showed plenty of potential last season when he started to get regular playing time in Indiana.

The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract can not be signed until July 7, said the contract is worth at least $48 million, with additional incentives of about $2 million.

He would up averaging 7.7 points and four rebounds in about 28 minutes per game during the Pacers’ seven-game, opening-round playoff series loss to Toronto. Now, they are having some success on the National Basketball Association free agency market. Larry Bird chose to decline his player option last season, which was a major surprise to many in the media. According to Kushner, the Pelicans believe Hill is a similar type of player to DeMarre Carroll.

Hill, 25, didn’t have a spectacular season with the Indiana Pacers in 2015-16, averaging 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from 3, but he finished the season on a high-note. Last December, the Pelicans made a push to pursue Hill in a trade with the Pacers, but talks broke down.

He needs to work on becoming a more consistent offensive scoring threat, but he has a wide range of skills and is particularly a good facilitator and defender.

Besides Hill, the Pelicans also targeted unrestricted small forward Evan Turner.