The Grizzlies Are Already Pulling the Plug on Jordan Hawkins

The Memphis Grizzlies are officially pulling the plug on the Jordan Hawkins experiment.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Memphis and the 2023 lottery pick have "mutually agreed to part ways." That is the polite NBA PR translation for a team deciding they would rather eat a contract and open a roster spot than keep a guy at the end of the bench.

"ESPN's Shams Charania reported the two sides 'mutually agreed to part ways.'"

Hawkins is completely healthy, which makes this a pure basketball divorce. Giving up on a lottery pick just three years after he was drafted is the kind of move that usually requires a front office to stare blankly at a whiteboard for a few hours before finally admitting defeat.

For a team trying to navigate a crowded Western Conference, Memphis clearly decided they needed the flexibility more than they needed a developmental shooting guard. If you are looking at Grizzlies futures, this is a signal that they are trimming the fat to optimize their rotation right now instead of waiting on potential.

Hawkins now heads to the waiver wire. Assuming no team wants to claim his current cap hit and inherit his rookie deal, he will slide right into unrestricted free agency.

Expect a guard-needy team to take a low-risk flier on him soon. When a guy with lottery pedigree hits the open market for nothing but the veteran minimum, someone always talks themselves into being the franchise that can finally fix him.