NBA free agency rumors: Solomon Hill got paid by the New Orleans Pelicans

Former Indiana Pacers reserve wing Solomon Hill just got a handsome pay day by the New Orleans Pelicans, making $52 million over the next four years.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, “free agent forward Solomon Hill has agreed to a four-year, $52M deal with New Orleans [Pelicans].”

To this point, this might be the most head-scratching of all NBA contracts issued during 2016 NBA free agency. Hill is coming off his second year with the Indiana Pacers who drafted him No. 23 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona.

While Hill did play in all 82 of the Pacers’ games in 2015-16 and started in 78 of them, he only averaged 8.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game playing for a mid-level Eastern Conference Playoff team in Indiana.

New Orleans had a ton of money of to spend in 2016 NBA free agency, but are apparently looking at Hill as the guy that is going to replace the offensive production they are going to lose in free agents Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon.

Hill is 25 and might become a solid wing player alongside No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft shooting guard Buddy Hield out of the University of Oklahoma. Perhaps both can somehow replace the lost production the Pelicans will face out on the wing in 2016-17?

Perhaps what might be the most appealing about Hill is that he has serious collegiate experience playing for Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona and that he doesn’t get hurt. The Pelicans certainly had more than their fair share of injuries in 2015-16. Adding a young player that has his health alongside Hield and superstar power forward Anthony Davis could prove promising, or not.

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