Pelicans' Jordan Hawkins Desperately Trying to Hold Onto a Roster Spot Next Season

The 2025-26 season has been a massive disappointment for the New Orleans Pelicans. Wins have been hard to come by, not only in the W column in the standings, but also in terms of internal development. One of those disappointments for much of the season was third-year player Jordan Hawkins.

The 23-year-old shooting guard had fallen out of favor early in the season and spent most of the season as a benchwarmer. Over the last week, however, he has been getting more of a chance, and he has been fully taking advantage of the opportunity. Whether that will be enough to keep him on the team next season and beyond, however, remains to be seen.

Jordan Hawkins Is in the Midst of His Best Stretch as a Pelican

As the Pelicans' season is coming to a close, interim head coach James Borrego has been giving more of a chance to the players lower on the totem pole. He has shut down the veteran starters for the season, which meant that Hawkins, along with other younger players on the team, has been getting an increased run.

Over the last four games, Hawkins has averaged 23.3 minutes. He has scored an impressive 16.5 points per game on 57.8% from the field and 55% from three. Even though it's obviously a very small sample, the ball is going in for Hawkins for the first time in his NBA career.

When he first came into the league, Hawkins was projected to be an elite shooter. He was a dangerous marksman from the midrange and downtown in his UConn career, helping him get drafted with the 14th-overall pick in 2023. Unfortunately, his shot never fell consistently in the NBA.

Hawkins is still shooting 34.8% from three and 37.6% from the field for his career. His 2025-26 season stats are in line with these career numbers, as well, suggesting a lack of improvement. If anything, his mid-range accuracy has fallen since he came into the league, per Cleaning the Glass. After shooting 40% on two-point shots outside the rim as a rookie, Hawkins is at 32% this season.

These shooting numbers are obviously a big problem for a player whose calling card is his jumper. It was supposed to be Hawkins' scoring that would make him an impactful NBA player. That hasn't been the case so far.

The Pelicans had exercised the fourth-year option for Hawkins, so he will be making $7 million next season, but the 23-year-old is in desperation mode right now. New Orleans could still use him as a trade chip in the offseason. How much interest another team would have in him, however, is unclear. So, his best option may be hoping that the Pelicans are willing to give him another year. We will see whether it will be enough to keep him in New Orleans, but Hawkins is definitely doing his best to impress the Pelicans.