The New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies have teamed up for a late-summer trade revolving around minor role players and second-round picks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
The New Orleans Pelicans are trading Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, a future second-round pick and a future second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies for AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson, sources tell ESPN.
Hawkins is the most notable name to move destinations in the deal. The 6-foot-5 guard was the No. 14 pick in the 2023
NBA Draft out of UConn and carries career averages of 8 points an 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 34.8% on 3-pointers through three seasons. However, he saw his playing time drop from 23.6 minutes per game in his second season to 13.6 minutes per game last season in New Orleans.
Peavy is joining Hawkins on the move to Memphis. The 6-foot-7 guard was the No. 40 pick in last summer’s draft and appeared in 61 games last season as a rookie. He averaged just 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 15 minutes per game in his lone season.
In return for that duo and second-round draft capital, the Pelicans are receiving a young guard in Johnson and a veteran journeyman in Gibson who has reached the end-of-the-bench-mentor stage of his career. The Milwaukee Bucks selected the 6-foot-5 Johnson with the No. 23 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and he has already played for three teams in his short career (Milwaukee, Washington, Dallas). He carries career averages of 4.9 points, 1.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 14.2 minutes per game.
The 41-year-old Gibson will be entering his 18th NBA season and playing for his ninth different team in New Orleans this fall. The 6-foot-9 forward appeared in just 10 games for Memphis last season, averaging 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 9.7 minutes per game.
