The Memphis Grizzlies are suddenly staring at a crowded roster picture after the trade that sent Taj Gibson and AJ Johnson to the New Orleans Pelicans for Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, a second-round pick and a second-round swap.
That deal pushed Memphis to 19 players on standard contracts, not counting Richie Saunders, and the team now has to trim four players to get down to the league’s 15-man limit before the season starts. Gibson and Johnson had already been viewed as the likeliest names to go, but once they were moved out and Hawkins and Peavy came back in, the math got a lot less straightforward.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report and The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer identified four players he believes are most likely to be waived: point guard Walter Clayton Jr., wing Jordan Hawkins, wing Kris Murray and guard D’Angelo Russell.
Clayton Jr. is the name that jumps off the page. The 2025 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and First-Team All American just completed his rookie year, and he arrived in Memphis as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal on Feb.
- Originally drafted by the Washington Wizards and immediately traded to the Utah Jazz, Clayton Jr. came into the league with a reputation as a high-level shotmaker, especially from deep.
That touch didn’t fully translate in his first pro season, though. He averaged 7.6 points per game, shot 38.4 percent from the field and hit just 30.4 percent from three.
He did show some playmaking ability with the Grizzlies, but with so many point guards in the mix, his path to sticking looks rocky.
Russell and Murray are less surprising mentions. Russell came over from the Washington Wizards in a multi-team deal tied to the Isaiah Stewart and Santi Aldama trades, and the expectation has been that he won’t be part of Memphis’ opening-night roster.
There’s already reporting that the Grizzlies and Russell are working on a buyout or trade. Murray, meanwhile, was acquired in the Ja Morant trade along with Jerami Grant.
Even at the time of that deal, it was widely believed he might not fit into Memphis’ long-term plans, and he has yet to establish real value in the NBA.
Hawkins is the interesting one. He came in as a former lottery pick with real shooting upside, but the consistency just hasn’t been there through three NBA seasons.
He averaged 5.1 points per game in 2025-26 after putting up 10.8 points per game in 2024-25. If Fischer’s read is right, Memphis may be more interested in Peavy than Hawkins as it sorts through the final cuts.