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The New Orleans Pelicans and point guard Elfrid Payton are signing a second 10 Day contract. Following this deal, to keep Payton on the roster, the Pelicans would need to sign him for the remainder of the season.

This is actually Payton’s third deal with New Orleans this regular season. He was previously with the team on a non-guaranteed contract prior to his first 10 Day contract. Overall, in 11 games with the Pelicans, Payton has averaged 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game.

New Orleans recently shut down guard C.J. McCollum and forward Zion Williamson for the rest of the season due to injuries. The Pelicans are also without wings Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III, and guard Dejounte Murray for the rest of the season due to injuries.

In early-November of 2021, when he was a member of the Miami Heat, Markieff Morris delivered a hard foul to Nikola Jokic in transition. Jokic responded by hitting Morris in the back. Morris then missed roughly four months of the season due to whiplash suffered from Jokic’s shove.

Morris hasn’t forgotten the incident, despite it being nearly two years old.

“Sucker shot. That’s what we call it in my hood,” Morris said of the shove from Jokic. “Took a sucker shot. They call it snuck. He snuck me. It was a sucker shot. He’s gonna get his though. Don’t trip.”

Morris is currently unsigned, but reportedly will sign a deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the upcoming season. Morris was traded to Dallas in the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks ahead of last season’s trade deadline.

Dallas and the Denver Nuggets are scheduled to play their first game on November 3.