Ian Clark will be receiving his championship ring some time next season at Oracle Arena. He won’t be in a Warriors uniform when doing so, however.
The shooting guard has agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Free agent Ian Clark has agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2017
The shooting guard signed for $1.6 million. It might be surprising to some considering that Clark, 26, averaged career highs in points (6.8), 3-point shooting (37.4%) and minutes (14.8) for the NBA champion Warriors.
Head coach Steve Kerr consistently praised the shooting guard for being ready whenever his number was called, and for not complaining when it wasn’t.
That wasn’t any more apparent than in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, in which Kerr decided to give minutes to then-rookie Patrick McCaw over Clark.
“This kid has helped us win playoff games two years in a row. All of a sudden, the biggest game of the year, I go to him and say ‘I’m not going to play you,’” Kerr said in his speech at the Warriors championship parade. “Visiting with both guys (Clark and JaVale McGee, who also didn’t play) was probably the most poignant moment of the title celebration for me.”
Clark moving on doesn’t come as a surprise to the Warriors, especially after guard Nick Young was signed to a one-year deal in July. And after McGee re-signed with the Warriors to take the final roster spot, it was all but certain Clark would be suiting up elsewhere.
He’ll be going to a Pelicans team in dire need of 3-point shooting that finished with a 34-48 record. But New Orleans could have something brewing with big men Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins entering their first full season together.