The Philadelphia 76ers selected Jaden Springer out of Tennessee with the No. 28 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. The athletic guard showed off a lot of defensive upside in college and the Sixers were hoping to build off that in the NBA.
Springer lasted 50 games over the course of three seasons with the Sixers and averaged 3.4 points and 1.5 rebounds. While he showed he can defend at a high level in this league, he was unable to develop an offensive game, and the Sixers dealt him to the Boston Celtics at the 2024 deadline where he won a championship.
The Celtics then flipped Springer to the Houston Rockets at the 2025 deadline. The Rockets waived him before he finished out the season with the Utah Jazz. After the Jazz waived him, Springer has now landed his next NBA opportunity with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans will look to unlock more of Springer’s game and turn him into a consistent contributor on the offensive end. It will be interesting to see if New Orleans will be able to develop his game a bit more.