Grizzlies cut ties with former lottery pick

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Grizzlies cut ties with former lottery pick

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Oct 2, 2026 11:12 PM ET

The Memphis Grizzlies are parting ways with a former lottery pick shortly after acquiring him.

The Grizzlies have reportedly waived shooting guard Jordan Hawkins less than a month after the New Orleans Pelicans traded him to Memphis. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the two sides “mutually agreed” to the decision.

The Memphis Grizzlies and guard Jordan Hawkins have mutually agreed to part ways, allowing the 2023 lottery pick to find a new home in free agency once he clears waivers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/2N2osIWF0n
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 3, 2026

Hawkins seemed to be the centerpiece of the trade package the Grizzlies received in exchange for Taj Gibson and former first-round pick AJ Johnson. Memphis also got 2025 second-round pick Micah Peavy and a future second in the deal.

One would have expected the rebuilding Grizzlies to test out a scoring talent like Hawkins as they head into their first year of the Cam Boozer era. The No. 14 overall pick in 2023 was entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, which would have paid him $7.02 million.

Hawkins, a UConn alum, has shown flashes of offensive potential in his three seasons in the NBA. But his efficiency and non-scoring attributes have not improved since he entered the league.

The 24-year-old averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds on 37.4 percent shooting over three years with the Pelicans. Grizzlies fans will not get to see whether Boozer’s passing prowess could have helped Hawkins develop into a deadeye shooter.

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