The New Orleans Pelicans have waived guard Elfrid Payton, the team announced on Tuesday. Payton, a Gretna native, signed with the Pelicans in November to help fill the void left by injured guards CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Jose Alvarado.
In his seven games with the team, Payton averaged 6.7 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. His best performance came last week against the Indiana Pacers, where he recorded a career-high 21 assists – the second-most in franchise history.
Payton’s waiver marks his second stint with the Pelicans after playing with the team during the 2018-19 season. Prior to joining the team again, he hadn’t played in an NBA game in over 900 days.
Coach Willie Green praised Payton’s resilience, saying, “It’s a credit to him and the resiliency it takes to stick with it.” Payton spoke about his desire to stay close to home and remain with the Pelicans, but acknowledged that injuries to other players made his return uncertain.
Source: https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/new-orleans-pelicans-waive-gretna-native-elfrid-payton/article_19ddb990-b1c6-11ef-98d3-8faa03d4c299.html