The Pelicans elected not to re-sign Thornwell after his second 10-day contract expired over the weekend, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com reports.
Had New Orleans elected to retain Thornwell, he would have had to sign a rest-of-season deal, but the team deciding keeping an extra roster spot open was a greater priority in advance of Thursday's trade deadline. If the Pelicans still have a roster opening in the aftermath of the deadline, team could revisit bringing Thornwell back. The fourth-year wing has appeared in 14 games with New Orleans this season, averaging 1.2 points in 5.2 minutes per contest.