Perkins agrees to join Pelicans

The Pelicans and center Kendrick Perkins reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum. Royce Young of ESPN.com confirmed Stein’s report.

Perkins’ roll on the court might be in limited minutes and mostly as an injury insurance, his presence on the bench and at practice surely played a major part in his addition to the squad.

Perkins was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers after getting waived by the Utah Jazz following last season’s trade deadline, and the reigning Eastern Conference champions simply didn’t have a spot for the free-agent center in a crowded frontcourt including Timofey Mozgov, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao.

If the contract comes to fruition, he will be the Pelicans’ third center signed as an unrestricted free agent this offsesason, joining Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca, who were both retained by General Manager Dell Demps. His numbers were not too galvanizing, but Perkins brought positive energy to Cleveland’s locker room.

Perkins averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds during his short stint with the Cavaliers. The Los Angeles Clippers also had interest in the 6-foot-10 big and wanted to reunite him with Paul Pierce and head coach Doc Rivers, but they ultimately moved forward with Cole Aldrich and Josh Smith.