The Pelicans’ decision to include Taj Gibson in a four-player deal with the Grizzlies was a straightforward cost-cutting move, but it also carried a very clear purpose: helping New Orleans create the space needed to complete its reported two-year, $16MM deal with Bennedict Mathurin.
On September 8, 2026, the Pelicans agreed to send Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy to Memphis and receive AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson in return. For New Orleans, the trade was less about adding names and more about making the numbers work without moving above the luxury tax line or first apron.
Why the Pelicans needed the deal
The timing mattered. Johnson’s two-month aggregation restriction had lifted on September 8, which made the structure possible, and the expectation was that Gibson would receive a small partial guarantee to help the salary match work. That detail tells you everything about the nature of the move: this was a practical transaction designed around cap mechanics, not a basketball headline in the traditional sense.
For the Pelicans, it was also a clean way to reshape the roster while avoiding a more expensive path. Memphis, meanwhile, had its own roster pressure, with 19 players on standard contracts, so there was room on both sides for a deal built around flexibility.
What Memphis got in the trade
From the Grizzlies’ side, the trade brought in Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy in addition to AJ Johnson. Hawkins had not taken a step forward since his rookie season, but New Orleans still chose to move him as part of the wider reset around salary management.
That is the key point here. This was not a move driven by one player alone, but by the full picture. Gibson was included because his contract slot helped unlock the broader deal, and the Pelicans were willing to use that structure to stay on the right side of their financial targets.
In that sense, the transaction says as much about New Orleans’ priorities as it does about Gibson himself. The veteran big man became part of the mechanism that allowed the Pelicans to keep moving, and that may be his most important role in this trade.
