With the summer now in full flow, the New Orleans Pelicans are examining the fringes of their roster in search of overlooked talent.
New Orleans still has one standard roster spot and one two-way position available, with the franchise already offering Caleb Houstan, Kobe Bufkin and Christian Koloko training camp deals as they compete for a place on the roster.
However, the Pelicans appear to be casting a wide net as they explore their remaining options, with South Korean standout Lee Hyun-jung reportedly emerging on their radar.
On August 9, journalist Sung Jin-hyuk reported that New Orleans, along with the Boston Celtics, invited Lee to participate in a summer mini-camp.
New Orleans Pelicans Get Close Look at Lee Hyun-Jung
NBA teams hold private mini-camps throughout the summer, providing an opportunity to evaluate a select group of players before official training camps begin ahead of the new season.
According to Sung, Lee departed for the United States on August 6, with his workout for the Pelicans taking place between August 8 and 13.
The 25-year-old will now work out for the Celtics, with his reported stint in Boston scheduled for August 16 through 20.
Lee went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft following three seasons at Davidson in North Carolina.
He subsequently joined the Golden State Warriors organization, playing for their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, during the 2022-23 season.
Across 12 games, the 6-foot-7 guard-forward averaged 5.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17.6 minutes per contest.
One of his best performances came against the Iowa Wolves, when Lee recorded 12 points, eight rebounds and a steal in just 20 minutes while knocking down two three-pointers.
Since his brief G League stint, Lee has continued his career overseas with stops in Australia and Japan. He notably won the 2025 NBL Championship with the Illawarra Hawks, the former team of LaMelo Ball.
Lee Hyun-Jung Making Another Push for NBA Opportunity
Now in his mid-20s, Lee appears determined to make another run at the NBA, with the Pelicans taking a closer look following his recent Summer League stint with the San Antonio Spurs.
Across eight appearances between the California Classic and Las Vegas, Lee averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 35.3% from the field and 28.9% from three-point range.
His standout performance came in a Vegas victory over the Utah Jazz.
Lee erupted for 22 points in 22 minutes, connecting on four three-pointers while adding five rebounds, two steals and a block.
Notably, four of his five rebounds came on the offensive glass, while he also recorded three Summer League games without committing a turnover.
Lee’s pursuit of another NBA opportunity has also impacted his international commitments.
In order to attend the Pelicans and Celtics mini-camps, Lee will not participate in the South Korean national team’s games against Japan in Tokyo.
“The Korea Basketball Association also judged that Lee’s challenge would be a good opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of Korean basketball,” a representative reportedly said.
Following his NBA mini-camp schedule, Lee is expected to rejoin the national team ahead of upcoming international competition.
With a standard roster spot and a two-way position still available, the Pelicans appear to be doing their due diligence on an older international talent with professional experience.
At 25, Lee could offer New Orleans a more developed option capable of competing for a place within the organization while still providing upside should the Pelicans consider him for their final two-way contract.
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