Newly acquired Pelican Larry Nance Jr. to undergo knee surgery Friday

The Pelicans expect to have their shiny new star CJ McCollum available Thursday, and Tony Snell, also acquired from the Trail Blazers, should be good to go. But the third player they acquired in the blockbuster — Larry Nance Jr. — won't be suiting up for New Orleans any time soon.

Nance will undergo surgery on his right knee on Friday, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Nance has been out for more than a month with knee soreness, an injury apparently suffered while attempting a layup on Jan. 5 in the Blazers' game against the Heat.

An MRI revealed the Nance had suffered "no significant damage" at the time, but he missed 18 straight games. Last week, Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said Nance had experienced a small setback.

Since player medical situations are always examined during trade discussions, it's likely the Pelicans knew the extent of Nance's injury prior to the deal and decided with him to pursue surgery. No timetable for his recovery was given.

Nance was acquired along with McCollum and Snell on Tuesday. Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky and Didi Louzada were sent back to Portland in addition to a protected first-round pick two second-round picks.

Before his injury, Nance was averaging 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and two assists per game. He is under contract for one more season.