Can Micah Peavy stick around in Memphis?

New Orleans made the move to clear cap space for its Bennedict Mathurin signing.

Memphis made the deal to pick up draft assets while trading two players who were likely to be cut before the season and received two players who may make the cut.

Hawkins, 24, is in the last year of his rookie deal and is a player some Grizzlies fans have wanted for years, after his rookie season coming out of UConn and winning a national championship.

But three years into his pro career, his jumper still has not fully translated to the NBA and his defense leaves more to be desired.

Peavy, 25, was an older rookie last season and wanted by many Memphis fans as well.

Despite a less than desirable rookie year, he still has the defensive potential that got him drafted, along with offensive slashing skills, and is cheap depth on the wing for a retooling team if he can find a spot.

But neither he nor Hawkins arrives in Memphis with a roster spot waiting for them, and I believe Peavy's path might be the easier of the two.

Peavy's background

The Washington Wizards took the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Peavy 40th overall in 2025 out of Georgetown, though his rights were shipped to New Orleans as part of a pre-arranged deal before he ever suited up for the Wizards.

In college, Peavy improved every season after starting at Texas Tech and then transferring to TCU for three seasons before having his best season during his lone graduate year with the Hoyas.

He averaged career-best marks of 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting 48/40/66 and earning All-Big East honors.

He never found consistent minutes during his rookie year in New Orleans, averaging 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.8 stocks across 15 minutes in 61 games.

In two of his final three outings last season, he scored 20-plus points, with two threes and four boards both times.

Peavy had his best shooting month in December, when he went 42/46/100 across 12 games.

However, for the season, he shot just 39/26/76, so Peavy will need to improve his shooting if he wants to be around long-term.

He also demonstrated his defensive abilities when he logged four steals in a game three separate times last year.

None of that guarantees him anything in Memphis though.

Grizzlies roster crunch

The Grizzlies are sitting at 22 players right now. With Jahmai Mashack, Javon Small and Richie Saunders expected to lock down the three two-way deals, that leaves a shrinking number of standard spots for everybody else.

To make it even tougher, Peavy is walking into a logjam at his own size.

Memphis already rosters nine players between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9, including Jaylen Wells, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Cameron Boozer, Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, Karim Lopez, Isaiah Stewart,Taylor Hendricks and G.G. Jackson. Six of them are younger than Peavy.

What Peavy does have working for him is his team-friendly deal.

He is in year two of a four-year, $8,685,386 deal with a team option in the final season.

Hawkins, by comparison, is set to make $7,021,895 in 2026-27 alone on the back end of his rookie-scale contract, which is nearly triple what Peavy will earn all season, for production that has dipped below 35% shooting over the last two years.

The quality of their contracts could become a key factor in that decision if all players perform well in camp.

If he does stick, it won't be because he became Memphis' No. 1 option.

Peavy's best shot is carving out a role as a defensive-minded wing off the bench, someone who can guard multiple positions and space the floor from three just enough to stay useful.

That's a real need on any NBA roster, especially one still figuring out its long-term rotation, and it's the clearest path he's got to staying in the league.

Training camp will be where Peavy gets a shot if he is still on the team by then.

If he shows up defending the way he did in flashes as a rookie and strings together anything close to that December shooting stretch, Peavy will make it hard for Memphis to let him go.

If the shot does not fall and the defensive ability is not there, he may make the roster decision much easier for the front office.