The Chicago Bulls agreed Monday to sign former lottery pick Jordan Hawkins to a two-way contract, filling the final open two-way spot on their preseason roster.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the deal. The 24-year-old guard cleared waivers after the Memphis Grizzlies released him Friday, three weeks after acquiring him from the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Former No. 14 pick Jordan Hawkins is signing a two-way NBA deal with the Chicago Bulls, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote.
On Sept. 8, New Orleans traded Hawkins, Micah Peavy, a future second-round pick and a second-round pick swap to Memphis for Taj Gibson and AJ Johnson. The move was designed to cut salary for the Pelicans.
Hawkins is coming off his least productive NBA season. He averaged 5.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 13.6 minutes per game across 51 appearances in 2025-26. He shot 36.6% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range.
Those figures declined from 2024-25, when he averaged 10.8 points in 23.6 minutes over 56 games. As a rookie in 2023-24, he posted 7.8 points and made 36.6% of his 3-pointers in 67 games.
In 174 career games, Hawkins has averaged 8.0 points and converted 34.8% of his 3-point attempts.
The Pelicans selected the 6-foot-5 shooting guard with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft. At UConn the previous season, he averaged 16.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 38.8% from deep and helped the Huskies win the national championship.
The agreement reunites Hawkins with Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who was part of New Orleans’ front office when the Pelicans drafted him.
“The Chicago Bulls and Jordan Hawkins have agreed to a two-way deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Hawkins reunites with Bulls executive Bryson Graham, who was a part of the front office with the New Orleans Pelicans when Hawkins was drafted 14th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft,” Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported.
A two-way contract lets a player appear in as many as 50 NBA games, with remaining time spent in the G League. The deal is non-guaranteed and does not count against the salary cap. Chicago already holds two other two-way players and will not need to waive either one.
Hawkins’ two-way salary is approximately $679,000. ESPN’s Bobby Marks said the signing reduces Memphis’ dead-money charge on the former first-round pick from about $7 million to roughly $6.3 million.
The Bulls may still cut an Exhibit 10 camp invitee to create a standard roster opening. They open the preseason Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns and start the regular season Oct. 21 against the Toronto Raptors.
NBA.com’s Sam Smith expects the Bulls to clear the mid-20s in wins.
“I think the Bulls are 27 in the over/under for this season, and I’d easily go over,” Smith wrote. “I’d be surprised if they at least aren’t in the 30s.”
Hawkins supplies additional perimeter shooting for a roster still sorting out its depth under new coach Tiago Splitter.
