The Memphis Grizzlies are heading toward a roster squeeze, and it looks like four more names will have to go before the team gets down to 15 players.
After a rough 2025-26 season, Memphis was already moving into a rebuild, and the roster churn has only picked up. Jaren Jackson Jr. was gone by the February trade deadline, Ja Morant has started his next chapter in Portland, and the Grizzlies added another layer of intrigue by bringing in Isaiah Stewart and drafting Cam Boozer third overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.
But the new additions created a numbers problem. Memphis is sitting on 19 active players after its trade with the Pelicans, and after waiving Taj Gibson just hours after acquiring him, the team still needs to trim four more players to get to the league-mandated 15-man roster.
NBA insider Jake Fischer laid out the names in play:
“They have to cut four of Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, D’Angelo Russell, Walter Clayton Jr., or Kris Murray. I believe, at this point in time, Jordan Hawkins has a chance to stick around.
If the Grizzlies do cut Jordan Hawkins, I believe there are several teams that would be willing to take a chance on the former lottery pick. But I don’t think D’Angelo Russell is long for the Grizzlies’ world.”
Fischer also said former first-round pick Olivier Maxence Prosper, who landed in Memphis after being waived by the Dallas Mavericks, is likely to stay. Even so, the Grizzlies are still expected to part with some combination of Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, D’Angelo Russell, Kris Murray, and/or Walter Clayton Jr.
The toughest call may come in the backcourt. Russell’s situation stands out most, especially with Fischer’s buyout chatter already floating around. The veteran guard has now played for five teams in the last two years, and Memphis appears to be questioning whether he fits as a steady floor general at this stage.
Peavy and Clayton Jr. are also in the mix. Both are coming off their rookie seasons and have shown flashes, but the Grizzlies’ guard group is crowded.
Clayton Jr. has the stronger case on paper after averaging 9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game in his brief run with Memphis last season. Peavy posted 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
Hawkins, meanwhile, may have the best chance to survive the cuts. Fischer said other teams would be interested if Memphis moves on, and that makes him a candidate to land somewhere else quickly. He averaged 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game while shooting 36.6% from the field.
Kris Murray is the one non-guard in the group, and his defensive upside gives him a different kind of appeal. Still, Memphis already has Jerami Grant, Cam Boozer, and G.G. Jackson in place at forward, which makes the path tougher.
For now, the cleanest solution seems to be waiving Russell, Peavy, Hawkins, and Murray, while keeping Clayton Jr. around as a young offensive piece and backup playmaker.
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Grizzlies Just Made A Roster Move Fans Will Want To Track
Memphis kept working its roster in a way that says as much about the front offices priorities as the depth chart itself. The Grizzlies used a trade with New Orleans to add a younger wing and some future draft flexibility, continuing a run of moves built around preserving financial room while collecting assets that can matter later.
For a team trying to balance the present with what comes next, these kinds of transactions can be the quiet ones that shape the bigger picture. The swap also clears out two names from the current mix, but the more interesting part for Grizzlies fans may be how this latest deal fits into the larger plan for the roster and the draft board. [Read more 🡒]