Grizzlies Convert Scotty Pippen Jr. To Four-Year Contract
6:37pm: Pippen Jr. has officially signed his new contract, the team’s PR department tweets.
5:02pm: The Grizzlies are promoting Scotty Pippen Jr. from his two-way contract to their standard roster and signing him to a new four-year deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Pippen appeared in 21 games for the injury-ravaged Grizzlies last season, including 16 starts, and averaged 12.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He continued to play well in Summer League games, averaging 21.5 PPG, 8.7 APG and 5.0 RPG in six Las Vegas contests.
Pippen has the inside track at backing up Ja Morant if the club doesn’t acquire another point guard. Heading into camp, Pippen and Derrick Rose were the main candidates for that spot, but that changed quickly when Rose announced his retirement.
Pippen, 23, went undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Lakers that year and spent most of his time in the G League while appearing in six NBA contests. The Lakers waived him during training camp last October and he signed with the Grizzlies on that two-way contract in mid-January.
The Grizzlies will still have an open spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster, though they don’t necessarily need to add another player for opening night.
Bucks’ Terence Davis, Cavs’ Zhaire Smith Waived
The Bucks have waived guard Terence Davis, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
Davis was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract on Oct. 3. He played three G League games last season with the Rip City Remix and then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Davis faced long odds trying to make the Bucks’ roster and now he’ll likely return to the G League. As Nehm points out, the Wisconsin Herd acquired his returning player rights earlier this month.
Davis, 27, last played in the NBA for Sacramento in 2022/23, averaging 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 64 games. He began his NBA career in Toronto in 2019 and was dealt to the Kings at the 2021 trade deadline.
If Davis spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, he’ll be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K.
In another waiver move involving a Central Division team, the Cavaliers have waived Zhaire Smith, according to the NBA transactions log.
Smith signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Cleveland late last month. The former No. 16 overall pick spent most of last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League, briefly earning an NBA call-up on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in February.
In 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate, the 6’4″ guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest. Like Davis, he’ll be eligible for a bonus up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Charge.
Pacers Sign, Cut Jahlil Okafor; Kendall Brown Also Waived
The Pacers have signed veteran big man Jahlil Okafor to an Exhibit 10 contract and subsequently waived him, according to a team press release. The team has also cut Kendall Brown.
Okafor was the third pick of the 2015 draft and began his career in Philadelphia but never quite lived up to his draft status. The 28-year-old has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.
Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate in the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, recently acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade.
Indiana’s intention to sign Okafor was reported late last month. The fact that it didn’t officially happen until now signals he never had a chance to make the regular season roster and that it was exclusively about getting him a bonus if he reports to the G League. Okafor will earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he joins the Mad Ants and remains with them for at least 60 days.
As for Brown, he had his two-way contract with the team last season converted into a three-year standard deal in March. However, the last two seasons of the new contract were non-guaranteed. He would have received $250K if he had made the opening-night roster.
The decision on Brown improves the chances of Cole Swider securing the 15th spot on the regular season roster.
By waiving Brown and his $2.1MM salary, the Pacers are now $2.5MM below the luxury tax with an open roster spot, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Jazz Notes: Markkanen, George, Collier, Williams
Lauri Markkanen‘s contract situation was a major story during the offseason. Markkanen and the Jazz chose to renegotiate and extend his contract for four seasons. In addition to having his salary for this season bumped from $18MM to $42MM, Markkanen tacked on another $196MM across four new years.
He told Marc Stein in a Subtack interview that he was relieved to get that done, rather than having increased uncertainty over his future, along with the possibility of being traded.
“Obviously I wasn’t a free agent, but it was more I had the ability to do the contract and kind of had the choice,” he said. “I don’t have to do it, but that was something I wanted to get done to stay with the team.”
The Warriors were prominently mentioned as a possible destination and Markkanen took the trade interest from other teams as a positive. “I think [it means] you’ve done things right — that teams want you. … I was able to kind of zone it out and really wait for my agent for what’s real,” he said.
We have more on the Jazz:
- Markkanen doesn’t want his All-Star appearance to be a one-shot deal, he told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda.com. “You don’t want to just be a one-time All Star. The goal is always to improve and show the new things you’ve been working on in your game,” he said. “I’m always trying to take that next step in my development, but it all starts with team success. Everything else comes from there.”
- Keyonte George underwent an MRI on his left knee and the results were negative, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. George has resumed on-court activities and is expected to be available for the team’s game against Sacramento on Tuesday. Isaiah Collier also underwent an MRI that revealed a right hamstring strain. He will be reevaluated in 10 days. Collier was the 29th pick of the draft.
- Lottery pick Cody Williams had his best outing of the preseason on Saturday, Larsen notes. Williams scored 17 against San Antonio after contributing a total of 13 points in the previous three preseason games. He added five rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes.
Paul George Suffers Hyperextended Left Knee
Paul George left the Sixers’ preseason game against Atlanta on Monday with a hyperextended left knee, according to the team.
George, the biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason, suffered the non-contact injury during the first half. The injury puts George’s availability for the start of the regular season in jeopardy. Philadelphia opens at home against Minnesota on Oct. 23 and has three more regular season games before the end of the month.
George was signed away from the Clippers on a four-year, maximum-salary contract as Philadelphia’s top target. George appeared in 74 regular season games last season, the most he played since the 2018/19 season with Oklahoma City. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. He also played in all six postseason games against Dallas.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse sounded somewhat optimistic about George’s injury after the game, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
“Certainly trying to work him into things, and he wants to work into things, too. So this doesn’t give him a chance to do that,” Nurse said about George getting acclimated with his new teammates. “Hopefully, it’ll be OK so he’s back with us right away.”
George told Mizell he was “not too concerned” about his knee (Twitter link).
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid has already been ruled out for the rest of the preseason due to left knee management.
Southwest Notes: Popovich, Lawson, Murphy, Morant, Jackson Jr.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has put his players, particularly the less experienced ones, on notice. The longtime coach will be much less forgiving of mistakes this season, he told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
“I think if anything it’s a little less tolerance,” he said. “We have been since the beginning (of training camp) … a little bit more disciplined in the sense of accountability, knowing that mistakes happen too often – (telling players) ‘You need to understand that by now.'”
Tre Jones believes it’s natural for Popovich to take that approach as expectations rise.
“A lot of us didn’t have a lot of those experiences we went through the last couple of years,” Jones said, “but now that we’ve had them and now that we’ve brought in guys that are helping us learn those things as well, you can’t make those same mistakes over and over again. There’s no room for that, if we want to win.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- A.J. Lawson said he’s benefited significantly in Mavericks training camp, working alongside stars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, he told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda.com. “Every day you learn something new with these guys,” Lawson said. “They’re great at what they do—Kyrie is one of the best ball-handlers, Luka is one of the best players, and Klay is one of the best shooters. Having these guys on the same team is a lot to learn from. I can take shooting techniques from Klay, ball-handling and decision-making from Kai, and learn how to run the floor with Luka. There’s so much opportunity as a wing player like me, and I’m excited for this season.” Lawson signed a two-way contract with Dallas over the weekend shortly after he was waived by the club from his standard deal.
- It has been another rough preseason for the Pelicans’ Trey Murphy. He was sidelined at the beginning of last season with a left knee injury. Now, he’s dealing with a right hamstring strain that will keep him out of action at the start of this season. “Very tough,” Murphy told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “Not starting the season again hurts me a lot. Doing everything I can summer-wise to be prepared for a season and having that happen really sucks. But just looking at it with perspective, it could be a lot worse. Good thing it’s an NBA season. I’ll be there for the majority of it.” Murphy will be a restricted free agent next summer unless he signs a rookie scale extension by Oct. 21.
- Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are being held out of the rest of the preseason due to minor ailments. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins wants his stars to make the best of training camp in other ways. “I actually talked to both of those guys about being fully invested in all the practice reps and using their voices,” Jenkins said, per Michael Wallace of GrindCityMedia.com. “I want them to get mental reps, whether it’s through film sessions or their teammates’ film feedback that they’re getting. They’ve been ever present, so we’re going to make the most of the situation over the next week-plus. And thankfully, they’re going to be ready for opening night.”
Cavaliers Waive Jacob Gilyard
The Cavaliers have waived guard Jacob Gilyard, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
Gilyard, 26, was added to the camp roster late last month. He appeared in one preseason game.
Gilyard spent last season on two-way deals with the Grizzlies and Nets, appearing in a total of 41 games for the two teams. The 5’9″ point guard held a rotation role for Memphis, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 assists with a .425 3PT% in 17.7 minutes per game across 37 outings (14 starts).
He became an unrestricted free agent this summer after the Nets opted not to tender him a two-way qualifying offer.
The Cleveland Charge acquired Gilyard’s rights in a trade with the Memphis Hustle prior to Gilyard signing an Exhibit 10 contract. He will be eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Cavs’ G League team.
Pacific Notes: Warriors Lineup, Hield, Dunn, Jones
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were the only players who entered Warriors camp with guaranteed starting jobs. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews takes a look at the battles for the other starting spots.
As Andrews details, De’Anthony Melton and Brandin Podziemski are fighting for the shooting guard spot with Buddy Hield pegged as a sixth man. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney are the candidates to play up front next to Green. Jonathan Kuminga is pushing for the starting small forward job with Andrew Wiggins sidelined by an illness during training camp.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Hield made a nasty remark about Sacramento in a “hot mic” moment two seasons ago after the Kings traded him to the Pacers, but the Warriors swingman told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that he harbors no ill toward the organization or the city. “I’ll always love Sacramento,” Hield said. “Sacramento is kind of where my career started. I always thank (former GM) Vlade (Divac) and (team owner) Vivek (Ranadive) for reaching out and giving me an opportunity to come play for the city and this organization. My comments are my comments. I can’t take them back, but when you have a mic open, friendly conversation with your friends, and a hot mic catches you, you can’t take that back. I’ve got to take that on the chin, but I love Sacramento.”
- Rookie wing Ryan Dunn has opened some eyes during Suns training camp and could be the steal of the draft, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Dunn only made a dozen three-pointers in 51 attempts during two seasons at Virginia, but has knocked down 12 on 27 attempts this preseason. Dunn’s strength entering the draft was his defense, so if he can continue to make threes, the 28th overall pick will be a valuable addition.
- Kai Jones didn’t appear in an NBA game last season after two disappointing years with the Hornets. Jones is competing for a roster spot on the Clippers after signing a training camp contract this summer. Head coach Tyronn Lue‘s advice to him hit home, he told Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “(Lue) told me when I got here, that everything that I did in the past (I needed to) forgive myself, you know, just learn from it, grow from it and just be better,” Jones said.
Joel Embiid Ruled Out For Remainder Of Preseason
Load management for Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid includes the preseason. The team announced on Sunday that Embiid will not play in any remaining preseason games this month, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays.
The decision is due to left knee management. Embiid met with doctors on Thursday and it apparently went well, according to Bontemps. The goal is to get the seven-time All-Star through the regular season in good shape and to have his knee as close to 100% as possible for the postseason.
According to Embiid, he lost 25-to-30 pounds during the offseason and is aiming to lose more in accordance with his conditioning. The 2023 winner of the Most Valuable Player award appeared in just 39 games last season due to torn lateral meniscus in the knee. He was still limited by the injury when he returned late in the season, as well as during the Sixers’ playoff series against New York.
It’s up in the air whether Embiid will suit up when Philadelphia opens the regular season at home against the Bucks on Oct. 23.
And-Ones: Top FAs, Under-The-Radar Players, Extensions, Carter-Williams
Kyrie Irving ranks as the potential top free agent next summer, according to Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype, though there’s no indication he wants to leave Dallas. Irving holds a player option for the 2025/26 season.
Rockets big man Alperen Sengun ranks as the No. 2 free agent, though he’ll be restricted if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension this month. At No. 3, Lakers forward LeBron James also has a ’25/26 player option, like Irving.
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram comes in at No. 4 overall on HoopsHype’s top-25 list and is the top-ranked player who will be fully unrestricted, without the fallback of a player option — unless, of course, he signs a contract with New Orleans prior to free agency.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Which under-the-radar players might make a significant impact this season? The Athletic’s John Hollinger explores a dozen such candidates, including Gradey Dick, Precious Achiuwa and Xavier Tillman.
- A number of big-name players could be in line for huge extensions prior to the Oct. 21 deadline for rookie-scale players and veterans with more than one year remaining on their contracts. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus identifies Kevin Durant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jalen Suggs as a few of the players who could potentially agree to new deals this month.
- Retired NBA guard Michael Carter-Williams has become a mental health advocate. The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn details Carter-Williams’ personal struggles and his determination to help others get through their mental health issues.