The NBA offseason continues to prove that it never truly ends until the buzzer sounds on the start of preseason action. This time, it was the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies who struck a late-offseason trade that'll send one of the NBA's young and talented shooters, Jordan Hawkins, to Memphis.
The deal was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, and it will involve Hawkins, along with Micah Peavy, a second-round pick and a pick swap heading to the Pelicans. Here's a look at the full terms of the deal:
- Grizzlies get: Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, future second-round pick, future second-round pick swap
- Pelicans get: AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson
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. pic.twitter.com/JLvDjv9clc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 8, 2026
At a
surface level, the deal likely focuses on Hawkins' final two years of his rookie deal, which will carry cap hits of $4.74 million and just over $7 million, as Spotrac details. This should free up cap space for the Pelicans and signals that they were unlikely to ink the 24-year-old to a contract extension.
Grizzlies and Pelicans trade grades for deal involving Jordan Hawkins
Grizzlies: A
Memphis acquires a player in Hawkins who won't break the bank over the next two seasons and gains the flexibility to decide whether to ink him to a long-term contract. Hawkins saw his minutes drop in 2025-26 as several other guards vied for playing time, but he was coming off a strong second NBA season in which he averaged 10.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Although Hawkins hasn't replicated his 3-point shooting prowess to the extent he did during his final season with Connecticut (38.8% on 7.6 attempts per game), the upside is unquestionably there.
For good measure, the addition of Peavy is also a good one for the Grizzlies. The 2025 second-round pick averaged 15.0 minutes per game for the Pelicans last season in a do-it-all type of role. The former Georgetown transfer averaged 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 48.1% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range in his lone season with the Hoyas.
Pelicans: B
New Orleans was simply in a position where Hawkins was going to be in another battle for playing time this year, and it was bound to be even tougher than in 2025-26. The Pelicans signed Bennedict Mathurin this offseason, adding him to a backcourt that has Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole behind starters Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III.
Simply put, with Mathurin likely garnishing many of the second-unit minutes at shooting guard, and Fears the clear-cut backup point guard, Hawkins was bound to be the odd-man out here.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Grading the Pelicans and Grizzlies Jordan Hawkins trade with 4 names on the move
