Pelicans Nightly
All teams
Pelicans Nightly Desk · transactions · Monday, September 21

Dominique Daniels, Jr. joins the Pelicans roster

Free agentNew Orleans Pelicans
Dominique Daniels, Jr.
· 23 · rookie
The move
Joins the Pelicans
official roster · Sep 21, 2026
2026-27 cap hit
Not on file yet
public salary data lags a signing by a day
Pelicans payroll
$204.3M
in the tax · cap $165.0M · tax $200.4M
Roster
21 players
standard limit 15 + 3 two-way
By the Pelicans Nightly Desk · 2 h ago

Dominique Daniels, Jr. is now on the New Orleans Pelicans roster, a move detected from the club's official listing on Monday, Sept. 21. The 23-year-old rookie arrives from free agency with no NBA line from last season and no advance report logged on the transaction.

The move

Dominique Daniels, Jr., a 23-year-old rookie, is now on the New Orleans Pelicans roster. The move was detected from the club's official roster on Monday, Sept. 21, after Daniels had not been on any NBA roster and was working out of free agency. No advance report on the move is logged, so there was no prior source or confidence rating attached to the transaction before it showed up on the roster itself.

The money

Daniels' contract is not on file yet; public salary data can lag a signing by a day, so his cap hit and any years are not available. The Pelicans carry a payroll of $204.3 million across 19 contracts for 2026-27, which puts them over the luxury tax. The league's cap for 2026-27 is set at $165.0 million, the tax line at $200.4 million, the first apron at $209.0 million and the second apron at $221.7 million.

The fit

Daniels enters a Pelicans roster of 21 players, 15 on standard deals and three on two-way contracts. He did not play in the NBA last season. New Orleans' returning rotation was led by Trey Murphy III at 35.5 minutes and 21.5 points, Saddiq Bey at 31.2 minutes and 17.7 points, Zion Williamson at 29.7 minutes and 21.0 points, Herbert Jones at 28.4 minutes and 8.9 points, Dejounte Murray at 27.8 minutes and 16.7 points, Josh Oduro at 27.3 minutes and 8.3 points, Jeremiah Fears at 25.8 minutes and 14.3 points, and Derik Queen at 25.0 minutes and 11.7 points.

Was there a report on Daniels joining the Pelicans before it showed on the roster?

No. None is logged. The move was picked up directly from the club's official roster on Monday, Sept. 21.

What is Dominique Daniels, Jr.'s contract with New Orleans?

It is not on file yet. Public salary data can lag a signing by a day.

Did Daniels play in the NBA last season?

No. He has no NBA line from last season; he is a rookie.

By the Pelicans Nightly Desk, from the data on this page, rewritten when the data changes. How the desks work.
No contract on file yet: public salary data usually catches up within a day.

Pelicans rotation

tracker →
Trey Murphy III35.5 min · 21.5 pts
Saddiq Bey31.2 min · 17.7 pts
Bennedict Mathurin30.0 min · 17.6 pts
Zion Williamson29.7 min · 21.0 pts
Herbert Jones28.4 min · 8.9 pts
Dejounte Murray27.8 min · 16.7 pts

Moves are detected from the official rosters, so the mechanism (trade, signing, waiver claim, two-way conversion) comes from the linked report when there is one. Salary figures are cap hits from public salary data.