Following a franchise-altering blockbuster, Miami’s championship rotation remains one piece short. Jordan Hawkins is now a free agent, offering the depth needed to solidify an uncertain backcourt.
The Miami Heat just wrapped up one of their biggest offseasons as a franchise. They obviously added one of the best players in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo along with a plethora of veterans who will help fill out the remainder of the rotation after Miami parted with a good chunk of their roster in the blockbuster trade. Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis are just a few names who should be integral in this new-look roster opposite the two stars, Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Now, while the Heat seem done with their roster changes as training camp is underway and the preseason beginning this week, there is a guard who recently hit free agency and Miami should, at the very least, show some moderate level of interest.
The Memphis Grizzlies waived young guard Jordan Hawkins on Friday afternoon. Hawkins was traded to Memphis last month following his first few seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Grizzlies had a decision to make between which of Hawkins or Walter Clayton Jr. makes more sense for their roster and they chose the latter. Funny enough, both are NCAA champions.
Hawkins, 24, was once viewed as a key piece of the Pelicans' future but saw his role in the rotation reduce last season. With the team drafting Jeremiah Fears last year along with having Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole in the backcourt, Hawkins' minutes have decreased from 23.6 minutes a game during the 2024-25 season to 13.6 minutes this past season. He was entering the final season of his rookie contract.
The Heat's backcourt has been up-and-down over the past few seasons. If we go back a bit further, the Heat made the massive blockbuster move for Kyle Lowry in 2021 before he showed alarming signs of slowing down. Then, Miami pivoted to Terry Rozier in early 2024 before his career has been forever damaged due to his gambling scandal which kept him out of the entire 2025-26 season. The Heat got lucky with Davion Mitchell as a solid option when they acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline but it is still unknown if he can be the starting point guard of a true contending team.
Hawkins isn't a game-changer by any means but with the recent Dru Smith injury, there is even more pressure on the Heat to have solid depth for the backcourt. Hawkins can shoot the ball decently from three-point range and is still quite young. With Mitchell on the final year of his contract, it may be worth a flyer to add Hawkins to the rotation and see what he can bring to the table.
