New Orleans signs Louisiana native Elfrid Payton to a one-year deal, which has the potential to become a long-term homecoming.

The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to sign point guard Elfrid Payton to a one-year deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Payton, a Louisiana-native, played three seasons at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

In his fifth NBA season, Payton shot a career-high 52.0 percent in 44 games with the Orlando Magic. Despite this, the Magic traded him to the Phoenix Suns in February of 2018.

Payton is a decent all-around player. In 19 starts with Phoenix, he averaged 11.8 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. He’s a solid ball-handler with good vision and passing ability. He’s also an active rebounder, averaging 4.2 rebounds per game throughout his career.

A major problem in his game, however, is his lack of consistent shooting. He’s never shot more than 1.8 3-point attempts per game in a season. He can’t stretch the floor and defenses don’t respect him on the perimeter as a career 29.8 percent 3-point shooter.

Getting the No. 10 overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft for a mere $2.7 million is a still nice pickup for New Orleans. The Pelicans don’t have any of their first round picks from the past five years on their roster, with trades for DeMarcus Cousins and Nikola Mirotic being the main reasons why.

Payton will be likely be backing up free agent point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo was an integral part in the team sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs last season.

A bench role might be more fitting for Payton, as he never quite took the “next step” despite getting consistent minutes in his first four seasons. Going against the second units of other teams could be beneficial to him.

Payton won’t have much competition backing up Rondo, as Jrue Holiday plays alongside Rondo at the 2. The team drafted Tony Carr in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, but he probably won’t make an immediate impact right away.

This past May, Payton finally decided to cut his notoriously long hair. His hair may have obstructed his vision, causing him to miss easy shots, make errors on the court and ultimately hinder his game. His hair won’t be a problem in his first season at home.

If the Pelicans can sign Payton without hurting their efforts to retain both Rondo and Cousins, then the move is obviously a win.

Since his deal is only for one season, it makes him a low-risk, high-reward type player. If he struggles to make an impact or fails to improve his weaknesses, the Pelicans can move on. They can try to flip him for other assets at the trade deadline or simply part ways at the end of the season.

Grade: B