Memphis Grizzlies Rumors

Injury Notes: Kawhi, Vassell, Sharpe, Huerter, Grizzlies, Livers

October 23rd, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard won’t be making his season debut anytime soon, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during Wednesday’s episode of NBA Today (Twitter video link). According to Charania, Leonard’s absence will be measured in weeks rather than days.

“I’m told Kawhi Leonard will be missing weeks,” Charania said. “This is not an injury that’s going to be measured by a week (or) two weeks, potentially. Not days, obviously. This will be an extended period of time that the Clippers are starting this season without him.”

Leonard battled inflammation in his right knee at the end of the 2023/24 season that flared up again during the summer. While it’s obviously problematic that he’s not ready for the start of the season, Charania suggests there’s optimism that once the two-time Finals MVP gets back on the court, he won’t be in and out of the lineup.

“I’m told they feel they have a plan and a protocol in place that will allow him, when he is ready to return, to actually sustain his play on the court,” Charania said.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Spurs guard Devin Vassell still hasn’t been cleared to take contact, but the team remains hopeful that he’ll be ready to return from foot surgery sometime in early November, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is scheduled to be reevaluated on Nov. 1.
Shaedon Sharpe is making good progress in his return from a labral tear in his left shoulder, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who says the Trail Blazers guard has been cleared for non-contact basketball activities and is shooting and going through ball-handling drills in practice. A return in early- to mid-November return still seems realistic, Highkin adds.
Kings wing Kevin Huerter, who missed the preseason and hasn’t played since March 18 due to shoulder surgery, will be available to suit up on Thursday vs. Minnesota, tweets Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento. Head coach Mike Brown previously told reporters that Huerter would “probably start” if he’s ready to go for Thursday’s regular season opener.
The NBA’s most injury-plagued team last season, the Grizzlies will open the 2024/25 campaign with five players sidelined. The team has officially confirmed (via Twitter) that GG Jackson II (foot), Jaren Jackson Jr. (hamstring), Luke Kennard (foot), Cam Spencer (ankle), and Vince Williams (leg) are all unavailable for Wednesday’s regular season opener in Utah.
Free agent forward Isaiah Livers announced on Instagram that he underwent a hip resurfacing surgical procedure last Friday after playing through a hip injury for the past two seasons (hat tip to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). It’s unclear how long the recovery process will take, but it seems safe to assume Livers won’t be an option for an NBA team until at least sometime in 2025.

Injury Notes: Jackson, Grizzlies, Sixers, Raptors, Bufkin

October 21st, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will be sidelined for Wednesday’s regular season opener vs. Utah but head coach Taylor Jenkins said there’s a chance he could suit up later this week, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal relays. Jackson was diagnosed with a low-grade hamstring strain at the beginning of October.

“Hamstring’s in a good spot, he’s been progressing well,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to be cautious, have him get a little more five-on-five in the next couple of days and probably trend more towards later in the week when he’ll return.”

Jackson has two years and about $48.7MM remaining on his contract. He was eligible to sign an extension worth $103MM over three years prior to Monday night’s deadline, but he’ll revisit a potential new deal in the offseason, sources tell ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That outcome was always considered likely, as the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year could earn far more money in 2025 than he can right now — he’d be eligible for a super-max extension if he wins DPOY, MVP or make an All-NBA team in 2024/25.

Jenkins also provided injury updates on Luke Kennard (foot soreness), Vince Williams (shin stress reaction), GG Jackson (foot surgery) and Cam Spencer (ankle sprain), Cole adds. Kennard will be sidelined for the first week of the season, Williams and Spencer are “still a couple of weeks away,” and Jackson will be reevaluated in late November.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Joel Embiid (knee management) and Jared McCain (pulmonary contusion) were able to go through all of the Sixers‘ practice on Monday aside from 5-on-5 scrimmaging, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. Free agent addition Paul George, who sustained a hyperextended left knee in preseason action, did not practice but will be reevaluated on Tuesday, per head coach Nick Nurse.
Raptors wings RJ Barrett and Ja’Kobe Walter practiced on Monday, but the team didn’t do any contact work, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic (Twitter link). Head coach Darko Rajakovic called Barrett day-to-day, while Walter is considered seven-to-10 days behind his veteran teammate. Both players are dealing with sprained AC joints in their right shoulders.
Second-year guard Kobe Bufkin suffered a right shoulder injury in Saturday’s practice and is undergoing testing to determine the severity of the injury, the Hawks announced (via Twitter). It’s unclear at this time how long Bufkin will be out, but he’ll be sidelined for Wednesday’s regular season opener, per the team. Bufkin was limited to just 17 games as a rookie last season due to toe and finger injuries.

And-Ones: M. Williams, Rookies, International Prospects, G League Trade

October 20th, 2024 at 7:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Monty Williams will be a head coach after all this season, just not in the pro or college ranks.

Williams has accepted the head coaching job at TMI Episcopal prep school in San Antonio, where he will coach his son Elijah, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. The Pistons fired Williams in June just one season after he signed a six-year, $78.5MM contract.

Williams is replacing former NBA forward Bruce Bowen at the San Antonio prep school, Haynes adds in another tweet.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Jared McCain (Sixers), Ryan Dunn (Suns) and top pick Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks) were among the rookies who stood out in preseason play, according to The Athletic’s Will Guillory, Fred Katz and Josh Robbins. LaMelo Ball, Scottie Barnes and Jaden Ivey are among the most intriguing candidates for the Most Improved Player award, the trio adds.
Looking ahead to the 2025 NBA draft, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Jonathan Givony rate the top international newcomers into the college ranks. Their list is headed by guard Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois), center Khaman Maluach (Duke) and wing Egor Demin (BYU).
Earlier this week, the NBA G League’s Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder) acquired the returning rights to forward Malik Fitts and guard Kevion Nolan from the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies) in exchange for the returning rights to forward Robert Woodard, the Blue tweeted.

Grizzlies Cut Four Camp Invitees

October 19th, 2024 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, after promoting Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract, the Grizzlies waived their four other players on Exhibit 10 contracts, Miye Oni, Maozinha Pereira, Armando Bacot, and Miles Norris, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.

Oni, Pereira, Bacot, and Norris were all in the mix for Memphis’ open two-way contract slot after Scotty Pippen Jr. was elevated to the standard roster, but once Kawamura got the nod, hitting waivers was the likeliest outcome for all four players.

Oni, the 58th overall pick in the 2019 draft, appeared in 80 NBA games across two-and-a-half seasons with the Jazz before being traded to the Thunder, who waived him. The former Yale star signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans in February 2022, but didn’t play a game for the team and hasn’t been in the NBA since then. He spent the 2022/23 season with the London Lions in the British Basketball League and ’23/24 with the Osceola Magic in the G League.

Pereira, a 24-year-old forward from Brazil, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies last season and and appeared in seven games for the club, averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest with a .514/.385/.700 shooting line. He spent most of the season with the Mexico City Capitanes in the NBAGL.

Bacot is coming off a decorated five-year college career at North Carolina, where he became the men’s basketball program’s top rebounder for both a single season (511 in 2021/22) and a career (1,715). He averaged 13.9 PPG and 10.1 RPG over the course of 169 college games for the Tar Heels and earned All-ACC honors four times, including First Team nods in 2022 and 2023.

Norris, 24, signed a two-way contract with Atlanta last summer after going undrafted out of California-Santa Barbara. He was waived in December and joined the Hawks’ G League team in College Park, where he averaged 11.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 45 games (29.2 MPG). Norris also played for Atlanta in the Las Vegas Summer League the past two years.

The Grizzlies’ G League team – the Memphis Hustle – traded for the returning rights to Oni, Pereira, and Norris during the offseason and can make Bacot an “affiliate player,” so all four players will likely end up with the Hustle. If they spend at least 60 days with Memphis’ NBAGL affiliate, they’ll earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $77.5K apiece.

The Grizzlies’ roster now appears set for the regular season, with 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Grizzlies Convert Yuki Kawamura To Two-Way Deal

October 19th, 2024 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

2:49pm: Kawamura has officially been promoted to a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

1:24pm: The Grizzlies intend to convert non-guaranteed camp invitee Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Kawamura, who is currently on an Exhibit 10 deal, will take the two-way slot that was previously occupied by Scotty Pippen Jr. before he was promoted to the standard roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room.

The 23-year-old Japanese guard has spent the past five seasons playing in the B.League in his home country. He earned MVP honors in 2023 and averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 30.6 minutes per game last season for the Yokohama B-Corsairs. He also played for Japan at this summer’s Olympics, pouring in 29 points in a near-upset of France in pool play.

Kawamura impressed his new Grizzlies teammates this fall with his competitiveness and had some strong preseason outings, handing out eight assists in last Saturday’s win against Chicago and then registering 10 points and seven assists in Monday’s victory over the Pacers.

At 5’8″, Kawamura will be the shortest active player in the NBA, tweets Charania.

Once Kawamura’s conversion is official, the Grizzlies will have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, with the club’s other Exhibit 10 signees – Miye Oni, Maozinha Pereira, Armando Bacot, and Miles Norris – seemingly on the outside looking in with the regular season roster cut-down deadline looming.

Southwest Notes: CP3, Flynn, Pippen, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Hawkins

October 18th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the hundreds of players currently on NBA rosters, only two are older than 39-year-old Chris Paul. While the Spurs point guard’s days as an NBA player may be numbered, he’s still not sure what the next stage of his career will look like, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

One potential path that intrigues Paul is being part of an NBA team’s ownership group, which he acknowledges is a little ironic, given that he served as the head of the National Basketball Players Association earlier in his career.

“I definitely want to be part of an organization because being the president of the union, I am probably the only guy who knows from being a player to ownership to the business side of it and all that,” Paul said. “There is probably nobody else who has the lens and the views I have.”

NBA general managers recently voted Paul as the active player who would make the best head coach after retiring. While coaching has never been atop CP3’s list of goals, he admitted that he hasn’t ruled out the idea.

“I was talking to my wife today because I have always said I would never coach,” he said. “But just thinking about it, I don’t know. Trying to figure it out. My wife and friends are always telling me I have so much knowledge and love for the game that I could coach. But I also think about being a dad because I have missed so much of my kids’ lives. So, yeah, I don’t know.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Although fifth-year guard Malachi Flynn joined the Spurs hoping to earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster, he knows his non-guaranteed contract makes him more likely to be cut before opening night. In that scenario, he may end up playing for the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, which is a scenario he’s open to, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio-Express News (subscription required) details. “There’s a history of what (the Spurs) have been able to do with people, if they do end up going to the G League, they have a good success rate at that,” Flynn said. “It felt like a good spot for me.”
Scotty Pippen Jr.‘s new four-year standard contract with the Grizzlies is worth his minimum in all four seasons, for a total of $9,608,931, Hoops Rumors has learned. Memphis used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing and gave Pippen two guaranteed seasons, with a $350K partial guarantee in year three. The deal includes a fourth-year team option that would be partially guaranteed for just under $397K if it’s exercised.
With Pippen elevated to the standard roster, the Grizzlies have a two-way slot open ahead of the season. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal considers the candidates for that spot, speculating that Yuki Kawamura is the frontrunner, with Maozinha Pereira representing his top competition and Armando Bacot and Miye Oni representing longer shots. While those four players are all on Exhibit 10 contracts that could be converted to two-way deals, Memphis could also look outside the organization to fill that two-way opening.
Head coach Willie Green‘s ability to adapt to and maximize an unorthodox Pelicans roster will be a key factor in determining the team’s upside in 2024/25, writes Will Guillory of The Athletic.
Green said on Friday that second-year shooting guard Jordan Hawkins will “absolutely” be part of the Pelicans‘ regular rotation this season, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Hawkins saw his minutes fluctuate during his rookie year and averaged just 7.3 MPG in 14 appearances in March and April.

Grizzlies Sign Miles Norris, Waive David Johnson

October 16th, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have signed power forward Miles Norris and waived guard David Johnson, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Johnson signed with Memphis earlier on Wednesday, and although terms of the deals weren’t announced, it’s very likely that both players received Exhibit 10 contracts. That will make them eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Norris, 24, signed a two-way contract with Atlanta last summer after going undrafted out of California-Santa Barbara. He was waived in December and joined the Hawks’ G League team in College Park, where he averaged 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 16 Showcase Cup games. Norris also played for Atlanta in the Las Vegas Summer League the past two years.

Memphis remains at the offseason roster limit of 21 players.

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Spurs, Kennard, Rockets, Ingram, Zion

October 16th, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks star Luka Doncic likely won’t play in the team’s preseason finale vs. Milwaukee on Thursday, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters today. However, Doncic went through a full practice on Wednesday and did “really, really well,” Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link).

Doncic was diagnosed with a left calf contusion during the early days of training camp. At the time, it was deemed a minor injury that wasn’t expected to affect his availability for the team’s regular season opener on October 24.

Despite the fact that Doncic may not end up playing a single minute this preseason, it still doesn’t sound as if his ability to return for next Thursday’s game vs. San Antonio is in any doubt, given that he’s fully participating in practice more than a week out from opening night.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Based on the way Gregg Popovich has managed his rotation this preseason, it appears likely the Spurs will open the season with a starting five of Chris Paul, Julian Champagnie, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, and Victor Wembanyama, with Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, Zach Collins, and Blake Wesley also getting regular minutes, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). However, Popovich said his rotation isn’t set in stone yet, and obviously it’s subject to change once Devin Vassell is ready to return from his foot injury, Orsborn notes.
The Spurs received $2MM in cash from the Kings in the Jalen McDaniels trade, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Marks also fills in the cash details from a couple of the Spurs’ offseason trades, confirming that San Antonio received $1MM from the Pacers for moving from No. 35 to No. 36 in the draft and $110K from the Hornets in the Devonte’ Graham salary dump.
Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard was feeling some soreness in his foot after Monday’s game in Indiana, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins, who said that Kennard may have to miss some time as a result of the ailment (Twitter link via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal).
The Rockets‘ preseason win over New Orleans on Tuesday showed how they can benefit this fall from offseason continuity after making significant roster changes in 2023, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “We’ve been playing with each other since last year,” veteran forward Jeff Green said. “We know what we want to do. We know what the goal is out there.” As Christian Clark of NOLA.com observes, Tuesday’s game was the first of the preseason for Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, while Zion Williamson sat out for what head coach Willie Green called a “rest day.”

Grizzlies Sign David Johnson

October 16th, 2024 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have signed free agent guard David Johnson, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). Memphis had an opening on its 21-man preseason roster, so no corresponding transaction was necessary to make room for Johnson.

The 47th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Louisville, Johnson appeared in just two NBA games with Toronto as a rookie and has spent most of his three professional seasons in the G League, first with the Raptors 905 and then last season with the Memphis Hustle.

Johnson had his best season in 2023/24 for the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate, averaging 17.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in just 26.6 minutes per game across 24 appearances (nine starts). He converted 35.4% of 8.3 three-point attempts per contest.

Johnson also represented Team USA in the 3×3 U23 World Cup last month — he was one of the leading scorers in the FIBA tournament for the U.S. team that fell to the Germans in the gold medal game.

Given that Memphis still controls Johnson’s G League rights, it’s highly likely that the plan is for the Grizzlies to waive him in the coming days so that he can head back to the NBAGL and earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K for spending at least 60 days with the Hustle.

Southwest Notes: Minix, Edey, Pelicans Offense, Kleber

October 15th, 2024 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Undrafted rookie Riley Minix signed a training camp deal with the Spurs in July. The former Morehead State guard has been so impressive, he’s got a shot to earn one of the team’s two-way spots, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News writes.

Minix came into Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Heat averaging 7.8 points in 7.8 minutes per game while shooting 57.1% from 3-point range on 2.3 attempts per night. He didn’t get off the bench as the Spurs played their regulars to a great extent.

“He’s a young man that is probably still pinching himself that he is on an NBA team and doing what he is doing because it’s probably not what he expected several years ago,” coach Gregg Popovich said of the 24-year-old, who played four seasons at an NAIA school before joining Morehead State. “But he is a tough young man. He is intelligent. He learns. And he can shoot the basketball. He has become a pleasant surprise.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Some people were skeptical of whether former Purdue star center Zach Edey could make a smooth transition to the NBA. Edey, drafted in the lottery by the Grizzlies, put on a show against Indiana on Monday, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Edey finished with 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting in 19 minutes and had nine rebounds. Edey displayed a sweet hook shot and a variety of low-post moves. “History will likely show that where he was chosen in the draft was low,” opposing head coach Rick Carlisle said of the No. 9 overall pick after the game, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
The Pelicans have ranked among the bottom 10 in the league in three-point attempts during Willie Green‘s first three seasons as head coach. Green is intent on changing that, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. New Orleans averaged 32.6 three-point tries last season. “The message has been pretty clear,” Zion Williamson said. “Get up at least 40 per game. That means we have to play with pace. And just play basketball. In the grand scheme of things, it’s definitely going to be a positive for us.”
The Mavericks are hopeful big man Maxi Kleber will be able to suit up for the regular season opener, according to Dwain Price of Mavs.com. “He got hurt in September – right before camp. He stepped on someone’s foot and sprained his ankle,” coach Jason Kidd said. “But his rehab and everything, he’s doing great. He had a great workout this morning, so he should be, hopefully, ready to go on opening night.”