NEW ORLEANS, La. – While the NBA restart will be an opportunity for teams to find closure to the COVID-19 dominated season, it’s a chance for others to make new opportunities at the end of the season.
For New Orleans Pelicans’ Center, Derrick Favors, and Shooting Guard, E’Twaun Moore, it is their last chance to showcase their talents to NBA teams.
Both Favors and Moore will be free agents at the end of the season.
When asked about the importance of the final stretch of games this season, E’Twaun Moore says,”Anytime you get a chance to go out there and play in meaningful games is definitely a boost. Anytime you can go play good also, that’s always going to look better for you and add value to you and your stock or whatever is going on in free agency. If you just go and just worry about playing and having fun and enjoy the moment, I think that will take care of everything.”
This is E’Twaun Moore’s 4th season with the New Orleans Pelicans.
He has averaged just under 19 minutes per game this season, averaging 8.6 points.
As for Derrick Favors, ever since he was acquired by the Pelicans in a trade with the Utah Jazz this offseason, Favors has been a defensive anchor for the young Pelicans.
He has been battling injures all season long, missing 19 games.
When he was healthy and on the court, Favors played just under 25 minutes per game for the Pelicans, averaging just under a double-double, with 9 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Favors was contemplating returning for the NBA restart in Orlando to help his body recover ahead of free agency.
Favor said, “Going into free agency, you don’t want to have an injury, you don’t want to go out there and have a bad showing, because that can affect you going into free agency, so I definitely thought about it. Right now, I trust my body and I trust what I’ve done up to this point, and hopefully I don’t think anything will affect me right now, but it’s definitely something to think about.”
Favors says other than that, “I’m ready to go.”
At this point in time, it is still unclear whether the Pelicans plan on re-signing either player.