The Pelicans completed a four-player trade, sending Hawkins and Pivyt to acquire Johnson and Taj Gibson.

September 9th - According to ESPN , the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies have completed a four-player trade. The Pelicans sent Jordan Hawkins , Mika Pivey , a future second-round draft pick, and a future second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson.

Hawkins, the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft , was traded before even entering his fourth season. Last season, he played 51 games for the Pelicans, averaging 5.1 points per game in 13.6 minutes per game . In contrast, he is projected to average 10.8 points in 23.6 minutes per game in the 2024-25 season .

The Grizzlies acquired draft assets in the trade. However, the team currently has multiple guaranteed contracts, exceeding the NBA 's 15- man roster limit, so several roster adjustments will still be necessary before the start of the new season.

The 6- foot -5 Johnson will play for his fifth team in three seasons. Last season, he played for the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks. In July , the Mavericks traded him to the Grizzlies in exchange for Santy Aldama . Johnson was previously sent from Dallas to Washington in a blockbuster trade involving Anthony Davis . He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024 NBA Draft and subsequently traded to the Wizards later that season.

According to ESPN salary expert Bobby Marks , this trade will save the Pelicans $ 5.7 million in salary. Johnson was only eligible to be included in a trade on Tuesday due to trade restrictions.

For the Grizzlies, 41- year-old Taj Gibson only played 10 games last season . This veteran with 17 years of NBA experience has played for eight teams throughout his career . Pivyt, as a rookie for the Pelicans last season, played 61 games, averaging 4.3 points per game.

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