With the sudden news of Lance Stephenson requiring surgery to repair a groin injury (and the fact his partially guaranteed contract cannot be waived until he’s healthy again), the New Orleans Pelicans could be in line to add another player to the roster in three games time via the hardship exception. Per Larry Coon’s NBA Salary Cap FAQ of the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement:
A hardship can be deemed to exist when a team has four players who are sick or injured and have missed at least three games, and will continue to be unable to play.