Recent first round guard part of potential Memphis Grizzlies roster cuts

The Memphis Grizzlies currently have 19 players on standard contracts (not including Richie Saunders) following a 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.

The New Orleans 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, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/JLvDjv9clc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 8, 2026

Memphis will need to waive four players to get down to the maximum amount of 15 standard contracts before the start of the season. Gibson and Johnson were previoulsy believed as likely to be waived, and with those two out of the mix and replaced by Peavy and Hawkins, the decisions might be more difficult.

Bleacher Report and The Stein Line's Jake Fischer said during his NBA Insider Notebook on Tuesday that there are four players who are likely to be waived by Memphis: point guard Walter Clayton Jr., wing Jordan Hawkins, wing Kris Murray and guard D'Angelo Russell.

Walter Clayton Jr., D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Hawkins and Kris Murray are likely the group of players that could be waived by the Memphis Grizzlies in order to meet the 15-man roster compliance standards, per @JakeLFischer on @BleacherReport.

(via https://t.co/PUmaLi1qdL) pic.twitter.com/yeKjVQqImR
— APHoops (@APH00PS) September 8, 2026

Clayton Jr. is probably the most surprising name to be mentioned as a likely cut. The 2025 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and First-Team All American just finished his rookie season. He was originally drafted by the Washington Wizards and was immediately traded to the Utah Jazz. Clayton Jr. was traded to the Grizzlies as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal on Feb. 3.

The former Florida Gators star struggled in his first season as a professional, averaging 7.6 points per game, shooting just 38.4 percent from the field. His calling card as a prospect was his elite shotmaking, especially from three, but he only shot 30.4 percent from long range as a rookie.

The 23-year old showed playmaking flashes with the Grizzlies last season, but with a surplus of point guards, it seems like Clayton Jr. could be facing an uphill battle when it comes to making the team.

As far as other potential cuts go, Murray and Russell are not surprising names to hear. Russell was acquired from the Washington Wizards as part of a multi-team deal that included the Isaiah Stewart and Santi Aldama trades. The veteran guard simply would not have a role on the roster that makes sense, and it has been expected that Russell will not be around come opening night.

REPORT: The Grizzlies and D’Angelo Russell are working on a buyout or trade, per @KellyIko.

Which team should go after him? pic.twitter.com/hQD69tqOuT
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 23, 2026

Murray is a young piece acquired in the Ja Morant trade, along with Jerami Grant. At the time of the deal, it was also heavily speculated that Murray would not be a part of the Grizzlies' plans. Similar to Clayton, Murray has struggled so far as an NBA player and has yet to carve out positive value.

Hawkins being added to the fold makes for an interesting conversation. The former lottery pick has upside as a shooter, but has struggled with consistency in three NBA seasons. He averaged just 5.1 points per game in 2025-26 after scoring 10.8 points per game in 2024-25. If Fischer's intel holds true, it seems like Memphis could be more intrigued by Peavy than Hawkins.

Add us as a preferred source on Google