The Utah Jazz started training camp this week, and the future appears bright for the 2026-27 NBA season. There is buzz about prized rookie Darryn Peterson and his rookie-of-the-year chances; Keyonte George is locked up on a new contract, and a winning season appears in reach for the first time in five years.
One matter of business remains - the Jazz have an open roster spot. While they may choose to keep this open for flexiblity during the season, they have multiple options to fill it now - Kevin Love could return, or one of their two-way players could be elevated.
One name that Jazz fans have floated is Jordan Hawkins, who was just released by the Memphis Grizzlies:
The Memphis Grizzlies and guard Jordan Hawkins have mutually agreed to part ways, allowing the 2023 lottery pick to find a new home in free agency once he clears waivers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/2N2osIWF0n
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 3, 2026
While Hawkins is young (24) and has shown the ability to score, he's far from a finished product. And being a former lottery pick (14th overall in 2023), one would expect that he would be better by this point in his NBA career.
Hawkins may have peaked in 2024-25, when he averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 boards and 1.2 assists over 23.6 minutes per game.
He has shot 37.4% from the field and 34.8% from three over three NBA seasons with the Pelicans. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies this past summer but never ended up playing a game there.
The Jazz don't need him, and would be wise to pass
While Hawkins may be able to give the Jazz the random scoring outbursts that they have lacked since Jordan Clarkson roamed the sidelines, he's far less talented. And his inconsistency would be even more maddening to Jazz fans.
The Jazz already have a roster full of backcourt and wing players, who all need time to continue their development this season.
George, Peterson, and Ace Bailey all figure to get significant minutes this year, with Josh Okogie, Josh Green, Brice Sensabaugh, and Svi Mykhailiuk vying for time as well.
And with the defensive deficiencies that Hawkins has demonstrated over his first three NBA seasons, adding him to a Jazz team with playoff aspirations appears foolish. One could argue that adding him a year or two ago, while the team was still tanking, would have been a better bet as he fit the profile of a buy-low candidate.
Looking at former Jazzmen like Love would also be a possibility if the team doesn't want to take playing time away from the young guys.
The Jazz need to pass on Hawkins and move forward with who they have, and wait for a better opportunity to improve the team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google