Pelicans release forward Onuaku, Thomas, acquire Josh Childress

After a disappointing 3-4 start, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps made a surprising roster shake up Tuesday, releasing forwards Lance Thomas and Arinze Onuaku to make room for the franchise to acquire small forward Josh Childress and power forward Lou Amundson.

Pelicans coach Monty Williams said the moves were made because they needed more experience at both forward spots, especially with top reserve Ryan Anderson still sidelined with a broken toe.

Childress, 6 feet 8, 220 pounds, is a seven-year veteran who played 14 games with the Brooklyn Nets last season. He has a career 9.2 scoring average.

Amundson, who is entering his eighth season in the NBA, played with the then-Hornets last year and was waived by the Clippers last month.