Pelicans to waive veteran Taj Gibson

Taj Gibson‘s stay with the Pelicans will be a short one. Very short.

New Orleans plans to waive Gibson after acquiring the veteran big man from the Grizzlies earlier Tuesday, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. The Pelicans will still owe Gibson $100,000, according to Guillory.

Gibson, 41, was included in the four-player trade that sent Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy to Memphis, with AJ Johnson also heading to New Orleans.

As we noted earlier at Hoops Wire, the deal was primarily about money for the Pelicans. It created the financial room necessary for New Orleans to complete its previously agreed-upon two-year, $16 million contract with Bennedict Mathurin.

Johnson, unlike Gibson, will stick around for now. Guillory reports that the Pelicans want to evaluate the 2024 first-round pick during training camp before deciding how he fits.

As for Gibson, this appears to have been a bookkeeping stop more than anything else. He became a Pelican on Tuesday. Now he’s about to become a free agent.