The Bulls are taking a low-risk swing on a former first-rounder.
Chicago will sign guard Jordan Hawkins to a two-way contract, according to reports from Shams Charania of ESPN and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The move gives the Bulls another developmental piece without costing them cap flexibility, and it comes with an easy roster path since Chicago already has an open two-way slot.
That means the Bulls do not need to cut one of their current two-way players to make the deal happen. They will, however, need to trim someone from their preseason group, and the most likely names are Brandon Boston Jr., Orlando Robinson, Drew Peterson, Jalen Bridges or Isaiah Stevens. Each is on an Exhibit 10 contract.
The Hawkins signing also reconnects him with Bryson Graham, Chicago’s new head of basketball operations. Graham was in New Orleans’ front office when the Pelicans drafted Hawkins 14th overall three years ago.
Hawkins had just cleared waivers on Monday after Memphis waived him on Friday night. The Pelicans had traded Hawkins and Micah Peavy to the Grizzlies last month in a cost-cutting move, with New Orleans attaching a second-round pick and a second-round swap in the deal.
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Hawkins entered the 2023 draft after a sophomore season at UConn that put him firmly on the map. He averaged 16.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while hitting 38.8% of his threes on high volume, then helped the Huskies win a national championship before New Orleans grabbed him later that summer.
His NBA production has been more modest than his college reputation suggested. Hawkins has averaged 9.2 points and 2.5 rebounds on .376/.348/.826 shooting across 123 regular-season games over his first two years, playing 20.2 minutes per night. In 2025/26, his role shrank under a new front office regime, and he posted 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game on .366/.348/.852 shooting in 51 appearances while logging 13.6 minutes a night.
For Memphis, the move brings a little cap relief. Bobby Marks of ESPN reported that instead of carrying $7 million in dead money, the Grizzlies’ new cap figure for Hawkins will be about $6.3 million, since his new two-way deal with Chicago will pay roughly $679,000.
For the Bulls, it’s exactly the kind of bet a rebuilding team can afford to make. Two-way contracts are non-guaranteed and do not count against the cap, and Hawkins will be eligible to play in up to 50 regular-season games this season while also spending time with the Windy City Bulls in the G League.
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Jaron Pierre Jr. was part of that look for New Orleans, coming off the bench and turning in a modest showing in limited minutes. For a Pelicans team trying to identify who can help beyond the established rotation, these early exhibitions matter less for the final score than for the competition they reveal, and this one offered a first pass at a depth battle that could carry real weight later on. [Read more 🡒]