Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cole Anthony Agrees To Buyout With Grizzlies, Plans To Join Bucks

July 13th, 2025 at 8:03am CST by Arthur Hill

July 13: The buyout is official, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).

July 12: Cole Anthony has reached a buyout agreement with the Grizzlies, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN, who adds that Anthony plans to sign with the Bucks once he clears waivers.

Anthony, who was acquired from Orlando in last month’s Desmond Bane trade, has an expiring $12.9MM contract. Charania doesn’t say how much money Anthony is giving up in the buyout, but it’s expected to be similar to whatever salary he gets in Milwaukee, likely a veteran’s minimum contract for one year.

When the move becomes official, Memphis will be able to use cap room to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s contract, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Once that happens, the Grizzlies can officially re-sign forward Santi Aldama and finalize their reported deal with free agent guard Ty Jerome.

Selected with the 15th pick in the 2020 draft, Anthony spent his first five NBA seasons with the Magic. He had been a consistent double-digit scorer throughout his career, but his playing time decreased last season and his scoring average dropped to 9.4 PPG.

The addition of Anthony will give Milwaukee 14 standard contracts. That includes Andre Jackson, whose deal won’t become fully guaranteed until opening night.

Top 45 Picks From 2025 Draft Have Signed NBA Contracts

July 12th, 2025 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been 16 days since the NBA’s 2025 draft wrapped up and just 11 days since those draftees were permitted to start signing contracts, but the majority of the ’25 draft class have already put pen to paper, finalizing standard or two-way deals with their respective teams.

As our tracker shows, all 30 first-round picks have signed their rookie scale contracts, and the top 15 picks in the second round are now under contract too. Outside of the top 45, four additional players – No. 48 pick Javon Small, No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor, No. 50 pick Kobe Sanders, and No. 55 pick Lachlan Olbrich – have formally inked their first NBA contracts.

That leaves the following players who don’t yet have an NBA contract in place for the 2025/26 season:

Boston Celtics: Amari Williams
Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic
New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
Utah Jazz: John Tonje
Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter
Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
Boston Celtics: Max Shulga
Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang
Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack

A number of these players are expected to end up on two-way deals — Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) reported on draft night that both of these Celtics picks – Williams and Shulga – would be signing two-ways with Boston, for instance.

Still, not all of these guys will be on NBA rosters when the 2025/26 season begins. For example, the expectation is that Niang will spend next season in the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna.

Players born outside the U.S. and/or ones who already have experience in non-NBA leagues are typically the best candidates to become overseas draft-and-stash players, so that could be an option for late second-rounders like Markovic, Diawara, and Toohey too. It’s hardly a given though. Post-draft reporting indicated that the Bucks and Knicks weren’t yet sure if Markovic and Diawara, respectively, will be stashed in Europe or if they’ll play stateside in ’25/26. Diawara, in particular, might have a chance to earn a standard contract for a New York team with little breathing room below its hard cap.

The other option for draft-and-stash players is to spend the season in the G League rather than in a league outside the U.S. Typically, at least one or two players go that route each season. That’s what Nikola Djurisic, the Hawks’ No. 43 overall pick a year ago, did in 2024/25 before signing his first NBA contract with Atlanta earlier this week.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these players in the coming days and weeks, as many of them could end up finalizing their plans for 2025/26 either during the Las Vegas Summer League or shortly thereafter.

Southwest Notes: Jackson, Flagg, Queen, More

July 11th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

GG Jackson II has had an up-and-down start to his Grizzlies career. After playing over 1,200 minutes his rookie year for a Memphis team ravaged by injuries, a broken foot – and a healthier squad around him – limited him to less than 500 minutes his sophomore season.

Now, with a new head coach in Tuomas Iisalo, Jackson is looking to settle into a role, and Iisalo is looking to help him do exactly that, Damichael Cole writes for Commercial Appeal.

“He told me last year when I was stuck in my head a lot that I’m (going to) coach you the hardest because I don’t want to be that guy that looks back in 20 years like, ‘Ah, that GG Jackson kid could have been something,'” Jackson said of his new coach. “He lets me know that he’s not going to let me fall, so that’s why I rock with him so much.”

Iisalo has emphasized Jackson attacking the basket more aggressively rather than settling for jumpers, and so far it’s worked. Jackson has averaged 21 points through three Summer League games as he vies for one of the remaining spots in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup.

We have more from around the Southwest division:

Cooper Flagg scored 10 points on 21 shots in his Mavericks debut. “That might be one of the worst games of my life,” he said, per The Athletic’s Christian Clark (via Twitter). “But we got the win. So that’s what really matters to me.” According to ESPN’s insider crew, Flagg’s performance showed his value even when the shot wasn’t falling, as his size and athleticism shone through, especially on the fast break, and his all-around game on both sides of the floor makes him look like a potential game-changer when paired with Dallas’ veterans. Although he didn’t score in the second half, he was able to contribute six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block to the final box score.
Derik Queen made his Pelicans debut on Thursday. According to Rod Walker of NOLA.com, there’s a lot for him to take away from the experience, both good and bad. Queen finished the game with seven turnovers after a particularly rough first half, but he also registered a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Those numbers don’t satisfy Queen, though, who knows there are a lot of eyes on him after the Pelicans traded an unprotected 2026 pick to draft him. “Twitter and Instagram are probably going crazy right now,” he said. “I have to redeem myself for me and all the outside noise.” Despite the self-effacing comment, Queen was ultimately encouraged by his play. “I think I flipped the switch in the second half. I feel like I got the hang of it now,” he said.
Pelicans 2025 lottery pick Jeremiah Fears and last year’s first-rounder Yves Missi had similarly hit-and-miss debuts, Walker writes. Fears scored 14 points, but had just two assists to seven turnovers. Missi shot 5-of-14 from the field and 3-of-9 from the free throw line, but ended with a strong 13-point, 13-rebound double-double. “[Missi] looks like he’s stronger,” said Summer League head coach Corey Brewer. “I think we are going to see a different Yves this year.”
Nate Williams‘ contract with the Rockets doesn’t become guaranteed until opening night, but he’s not letting that bother him as he heads into his fourth Summer League, writes Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. “I really don’t worry about all that stuff,” Williams said. “I just work hard and come to play and have fun.” Rockets Summer League coach Garrett Jackson said that he’s going to lean on Williams, as well as Reed Sheppard, throughout the team’s time in Las Vegas. As for Williams, he’s focused on controlling what he can control. “We gonna put on a show tomorrow,” he said on Thursday ahead of the team’s Summer League opener on Friday. “We just gonna show everything: gonna shoot, gonna get to the basket, gonna make the right plays. Just have fun.”

Contract Details: A. Jackson, K. Jones, Small, Sanders, Bagley

July 11th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks originally had a July 7 deadline to decide whether or not they wanted to guarantee Andre Jackson‘s full $2.22MM salary for the 2025/26 season, but reporting on Monday indicated that the team had awarded the guard a partial guarantee on that figure as part of an agreement to move back his full salary guarantee date.

According to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link), Jackson received an $800K partial guarantee as part of that agreement, locking in a little over a third of his ’25/26 salary. His new guarantee date will be one day before the start of the regular season in the fall.

In other words, if Jackson earns a spot on the Bucks’ opening night roster, his full salary for next season will be locked in, but the team has a few more months to make that decision.

Here are a few more contract details from around the NBA:

Kam Jones‘ four-year, $8.7MM contract with the Pacers is fully guaranteed in year one, with a 50% partial guarantee for year two, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). That means only about $2.35MM of Jones’ total salary will be guaranteed, including $1.27MM in year one. The 6’5″ guard was the 38th overall pick in last month’s draft.
The two-way contract that No. 48 overall pick Javon Small signed with the Grizzlies will cover two seasons, per Scotto (Twitter link). That will put Small on track for restricted free agency in 2027 if he’s not promoted (or waived) before then.
Kobe Sanders‘ two-way contract with the Clippers is also for two years, tweets Smith. Sanders was the No. 50 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Marvin Bagley III‘s one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Wizards is guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned. Washington now has 16 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Richaun Holmes and Justin Champagnie on non-guaranteed deals, so some roster moves will be necessary in D.C. at some point — the team won’t have to resolve that situation until the day before the regular season, however.

Grizzlies Second-Round Pick Javon Small Signs Two-Way Contract

July 10th, 2025 at 7:35pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Grizzlies signed 2025 No. 48 overall pick Javon Small to a two-way contract, according to a team release (Twitter link).

Small played college basketball at East Carolina, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, averaging 18.6 points and 5.6 assists in his final collegiate season with the Mountaineers. The 6’3″ guard shot 35.3% from three on 7.3 attempts per game last season.

Memphis signing Small to a two-way deal was an expected agreement. Once they complete reported deals with Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome, Cam Spencer and Jock Landale, they will have a full 15-man standard roster, which would have left no space for Small.

The Grizzlies also have Zyon Pullin on a two-way contract as a returning player, giving them one more two-way contract slot to offer. Spencer and free agent guard Yuki Kawamura ended last season on two-way contracts with Memphis, but Kawamura didn’t receive a qualifying offer.

Jahmai Mashack is Memphis’s only remaining unsigned draft pick. It’s possible he’ll be auditioning for a two-way spot himself during the Las Vegas Summer League.

Tarik Biberovic Re-Signs With Fenerbahce Following NBA Interest

July 10th, 2025 at 3:23pm CST by Rory Maher

Despite receiving “serious” NBA interest this offseason, wing Tarik Biberovic has decided to stay in Europe, officially re-signing with reigning EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce, the Turkish team announced in a press release.

European insider Yagız Sabuncuoglu reported on Wednesday (Twitter link) that Biberovic declined a contract offer from the Grizzlies, who selected the 24-year-old with the 56th overall pick in the 2023 draft and control his NBA rights.

Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops confirms that report, and adds that three other NBA teams were interested in Biberovic, though those unnamed clubs could not negotiate with him unless they had acquired his rights in a trade with Memphis.

Biberovic has been one of Fenerbahce’s most reliable shooters in recent years. In 2024/25, he averaged 10.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 37 EuroLeague outings (22.5 MPG), converting 43.2% of his 5.0 three-point attempts per game.

The 6’7″ guard/forward, who is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, also helped Fenerbace win another domestic title this past season in the Turkish BSL.

Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup

July 9th, 2025 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:

West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)

The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.

The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.

Grizzlies’ Cedric Coward Signs Rookie Scale Contract

July 7th, 2025 at 10:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have signed former Washington State forward Cedric Coward to his rookie scale contract, according to the official NBA.com transaction log.

Coward played just six games for the Cougars in 2024/25 before suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of his senior season. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the floor and 40.0% on three-pointers during his abridged stint with the Cougars.

Before transferring to Washington State, the 6’6″ wing played two years at Eastern Washington, averaging 11.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 66 games. He spent his freshman season at Willamette University in Oregon.

After acquiring the 16th overall pick in their Desmond Bane trade with Orlando, the Grizzlies used a future first-rounder to move up five more spots on draft night to snag Coward with the No. 11 overall pick.

Coward is considered doubtful to play in Summer League this month as he continues to recover from that shoulder injury that cost him most of ’24/25, but he’s expected to be ready for training camp.

As our rookie scale breakdown shows, the Grizzlies rookie figures to earn a first-year salary of $5.7MM and a four-year total of $26.3MM.

Of this year’s 30 first-round picks, 29 have now signed their rookie scale contracts. No. 22 overall pick Drake Powell, whose trade to Brooklyn was just finalized on Monday, figures to make it a perfect 30 for 30 very soon.

Stein’s Latest: Valanciunas, Horford, Ham, Suns, Reid, More

July 6th, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Rory Maher

After reporting on Saturday that the Nuggets plan to go through with their trade for Jonas Valanciunas despite the veteran center’s interest in signing with EuroLeague club Panathinaikos, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reiterates in his latest Substack post that Denver’s front office is “determined to enforce” Valanciunas’ contract and “optimistic” the Lithuanian big man will be a Nugget in 2025/26.

As Stein explains, even if Valanciunas agreed to give back his entire $10.4MM salary for next season in a buyout, which would give the Nuggets enough cap space below the luxury tax line to use the full mid-level exception, Denver still wouldn’t have an easy way to find another backup center, with most of the top free agents already off the board.

Having access to the full MLE would theoretically give the Nuggets the ability to offer a lucrative contract to Al Horford, who is still a free agent, but Stein continues to hear the 39-year-old big man is “destined” to sign with the Warriors, who can currently only offer him the taxpayer version of the MLE.

Valanciunas doesn’t have the ability to unilaterally terminate his contract, and the Nuggets don’t have to accept a buyout even if he did forfeit his entire salary, Stein notes. One source Stein spoke to said a resolution remains uncertain but acknowledged that Valanciunas might have to remain with Denver despite his apparent desire to return to Europe.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Suns and Knicks are both looking for a top assistant coach and have expressed interest in trying to lure Darvin Ham away from the Bucks, per Stein. However, Milwaukee is “determined to keep” Ham unless he gets the chance to become a head coach again elsewhere. Stein points out that joining Phoenix or New York would be a lateral move for Ham, since he’s already the Bucks’ top assistant, and says Milwaukee “loves having Ham back” after his two-year stint as the Lakers’ top coach.
The Grizzlies are another team in search of a No. 1 assistant under new head coach Tuomas Iisalo, Stein adds.
Before trading for Mark Williams and drafting Khaman Maluach, the Suns tried to pursue a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves for Naz Reid, according to Stein, who writes that Reid’s new five-year, $125MM contract with Minnesota is believed to have played a factor in Myles Turner‘s decision to leave the Pacers for the Bucks in free agency. Indiana reportedly never offered Turner a deal as lucrative as Reid received from the Wolves.

Grizzlies To Sign Jock Landale, Trade Jay Huff To Pacers

July 5th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

July 6: The Huff trade is official, according to the Grizzlies (Twitter link).

July 5: Free agent center Jock Landale has reached a contract agreement with the Grizzlies, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Memphis will make room on its roster by sending Jay Huff to the Pacers in exchange for a future second-round pick and a second-round pick swap, Charania adds (Twitter link).

Landale was waived by the Rockets on Thursday before his $8MM salary for the upcoming season became guaranteed. He was expected to be on the move on after Houston agreed to sign Clint Capela in free agency, adding to its center depth along with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.

The 29-year-old big man signed a four-year, $32MM contract with the Rockets in 2023 that contained just one fully guaranteed season. He appeared in 42 games this year, averaging 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per night.

Landale’s new contract with Memphis will cover one year at the veteran’s minimum, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). He will provide another option for Memphis in light of Zach Edey‘s uncertain status after undergoing ankle surgery in June.

Indiana was able to pick up an additional big man in Huff after losing Myles Turner to Milwaukee earlier this week. The Pacers will be the fifth team in five years for the 26-year-old center, who is coming off his best NBA season. He appeared in 64 games for Memphis, averaging 6.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per night while shooting 51.5% from the field and 40.5% from three-point range.

Huff will make $2.4MM and $2.7MM over the next two seasons, and his contract includes a $3MM player option for 2027/28.

The draft choice headed to Memphis will be a 2029 second-rounder that originally belonged to Portland, while the option for the second-round pick swap will take place in 2031, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).