Pelicans Pay a Premium to Hand Memphis a Sneaky Depth Upgrade

The New Orleans Pelicans just paid a premium to swap out their young depth for a guy averaging three points a game and a veteran who was drafted during the first Obama administration.

According to ESPN, New Orleans is sending Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, a future second-round pick, and a second-round swap to the Memphis Grizzlies. In return, the Pelicans get AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson.

"Sources tell ESPN the Pelicans are trading Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy, a future second-round pick and a future second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies for AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson."

On paper, this looks like the kind of trade you make in a video game when you accidentally simulate past the deadline and panic. The Pelicans are giving up two rotation-caliber young guys and draft capital for a deep-bench project and a 41-year-old big man.

Hawkins is a known commodity who can shoot the lights out, though he has battled back issues that previously sidelined him for a 16-game stretch. Peavy is a solid developmental wing who logged 61 games as a rookie, playing about 15 minutes a night.

Memphis is shipping out Johnson, who is currently posting a blistering 3.3 points and 1.0 assists per game, along with Gibson, who is essentially an extra assistant coach in uniform at this point in his career.

For anyone looking at the Grizzlies in the futures market, this is a sneaky depth upgrade. Memphis gets a movement shooter in Hawkins and a defensive wing in Peavy for basically nothing, bolstering a rotation that always seems to need extra bodies.

New Orleans clearly wanted to clear a roster logjam or shed some specific salary, but it is hard to see how this moves the needle for them on the court tonight.

We will see how quickly Memphis integrates Hawkins into their second unit. If his back is fully healthy, he could be swinging games from the perimeter by the weekend.