Dakota Mathias

Grizzlies Waive Killian Tillie, Pick Up Options On Three Players

The Grizzlies have officially completed a series of roster moves, setting their roster for the 2022/23 regular season and picking up multiple rookie scale options for ’23/24.

Most notably, Memphis has waived big man Killian Tillie, whose expiring $1,901,625 salary is fully guaranteed. Tillie has spent the last two seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 36 games (12.8 MPG) in 2021/22.

The Grizzlies had 16 players with fully or partially guaranteed contracts, so one of them had to be cut to get to the 15-man regular season limit. Tillie, who will still receive his full salary, was the odd man out, as the club opted to keep Danny Green while he recovers from an ACL tear.

Memphis also waived Dakota Mathias, who was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract earlier in the week for G League purposes. Mathias is expected to report to the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate.

The Grizzlies also announced today that they’ve exercised their 2023/24 team options on Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, and Santi Aldama. All three players will now have guaranteed salaries for ’23/24, with Bane earning $3,845,083, Williams earning $4,810,200, and Aldama making $2,194,200.

The moves had been expected, since Bane, Williams, and Aldama all appear set to play regular rotation roles for Memphis this coming season.

Grizzlies Sign Dakota Mathias To Exhibit 10 Deal

OCTOBER 14: Over two months after reaching a deal with Mathias, the Grizzlies have officially signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release. In a pair of corresponding moves, the team waived E.J. Onu and Romeo Weems after having signed them earlier this week.

It seems safe to assume that the plan is for Mathias, Onu, and Weems to all eventually head to the G League and play for the Hustle.


AUGUST 10: The Grizzlies have reached an agreement to sign free agent shooting guard Dakota Mathias to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Mathias, who went undrafted out of Purdue in 2018, spent a season in Spain and then played in the G League for a year before getting his first shot in the NBA in 2020/21. He appeared in eight games with the Sixers while on a two-way contract that season, then saw action in six contests while on a pair of 10-day deals with the Grizzlies in 2021/22.

Mathias is a talented outside shooter, having made 41.9% of his three-point attempts in four college seasons with the Boilermakers and 39.4% of his tries in 46 G League games with the Texas Legends.

The Grizzlies likely view Mathias as someone who can play a regular role for their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, though his Exhibit 10 contract could technically be converted into a two-way deal before the season begins. Currently, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Vince Williams are the Grizzlies’ two-way players.

While it’s possible that Mathias could receive consideration for a spot on Memphis’ 15-man regular season roster with a strong training camp and preseason, it seems unlikely, given that the team already has 16 players on fully or partially guaranteed standard contracts.

Summer League Commitments: Blazers, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Wizards

The Blazers have received a summer league commitment from guard Craig Randall II, league sources told Hoops Rumors. Randall was named the G League Most Improved Player this season, averaging 26.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists for Long Island.

Randall also shot well enough during those outings. He finished the season shooting 43% from the floor and 36.5% from three-point range, adding efficiency to his production. He’s expected to compete for a training camp or two-way deal in summer league.

Here are a few more summer league updates:

  • The Grizzlies are adding shooting guard Dakota Mathias to their summer league roster, his agency Edge Sports told Hoops Rumors. Mathias holds two-way experience with the Sixers.
  • The Mavericks are bringing free agent forward Justin Gorham to summer league, his agent Adie von Gontard said. Gorham, 23, recently impressed at the team’s free-agent mini-camp.
  • The Wizards have received a summer league commitment from Tahjere McCall, according to his agent, Zack Charles. McCall last played in the NBL and was a key part of the Lakeland Magic’s championship team in 2020/21.

Grizzlies Sign Dakota Mathias To Second 10-Day Deal

The Grizzlies have signed guard Dakota Mathias to a second 10-day contract using a COVID-related hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release. Mathias initially signed a 10-day pact with Memphis near the end of December.

During his first 10 days with the Grizzlies, Mathias appeared in four games, but was limited to garbage-time action, logging just eight total minutes.

The 26-year-old shooting guard went undrafted out of Purdue in 2018 and spent his first professional season in Spain. He joined the Texas Legends – Dallas’ G League affiliate – for the 2019/20 campaign, then began last season on a two-way contract with the Sixers before being waived in January.

The Grizzlies announced on Thursday that big man Killian Tillie has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, joining Yves Pons. With two players in the COVID-19 protocols and no replacement players signed, Memphis qualified for a hardship exception to sign Mathias without having to open up a spot on the 15-man roster.

Mathias’ 10-day contract will pay him $85,578, but that money won’t count against the Grizzlies’ team salary for cap or tax purposes.

Grizzlies Sign Dakota Mathias To 10-Day Contract

The Grizzlies have signed free agent wing Dakota Mathias to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.

The club put out the press release after its Wednesday night win over the Lakers, very early Thursday morning. So we’re assuming for now that December 30 is the start date for the deal, meaning it’ll run through January 8 and cover Memphis’ next five games.

Mathias, 26, went undrafted out of Purdue in 2018 and spent his first professional season in Spain. He joined the Texas Legends – Dallas’ G League affiliate – for the 2019/20 campaign, then began last season on a two-way contract with the Sixers before being waived in January. A report in August indicated Mathias had agreed to sign with the G League Ignite, but that deal apparently fell through.

In his lone NBAGL season in 2019/20, Mathias averaged 18.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG , and 3.1 APG on .432/.392/.831 shooting in 42 games (36.1 MPG) for the Legends.

The Grizzlies currently have four players in the health and safety protocols. Mathias is their fourth hardship addition, joining Tyrell Terry, Shaq Buchanan, and Xavier Sneed.

And-Ones: Lingering Questions, Ref Vaccinations, Noel, Jenkins, Mathias

The NBA’s summer of player movement may be winding down, but there are still some questions looming over teams. An ESPN panel of insiders looked at some of them on Thursday (before the Lauri MarkkanenLarry NanceDerrick Jones Jr. three team deal broke).

Among the predictions that were made: Nick Friedell believes Damian Lillard will eventually end up with the Knicks, just not in the immediate future; Kirk Goldsberry thinks that J.J. Redick will end up with the Nets; Andrew Lopez predicts Paul Millsap will start the season not on a roster, but will be picked up mid-season.

The crew also looks at which new coaches have the hardest road ahead: Chauncey Billups with the Blazers and Willie Green with the Pelicans each received two votes, while Jason Kidd with the Mavericks received one.

And, of course, the much-discussed Ben SimmonsSixers impasse was the first topic of debate.

We have more news from around the world of hoops:

  • The NBA will require its referees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, barring medical or religious exemptions, the league announced today. A report from ESPN laid out the scope of the policy, including that referees will receive booster shots once those become recommended, and that refs without an approved exemption who aren’t vaccinated will not be eligible to work games.
  • Knicks center Nerlens Noel‘s lawsuit has the potential to change the NBA-agent landscape, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Fischer writes that as opposed to the league’s tampering rules between teams and players, there are no such prohibitions on agents trying to poach clients, and that this unprecedented peek behind the curtain could give the league incentive to put some protections in place.
  • John Jenkins has signed with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque in France, reports Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw (via Twitter). Jenkins played eight seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.0 PPG while shooting 36.7% from three on 319 career attempts. Jenkins recently participated with the Team USA select team as Team USA prepared for their eventual gold medal run.
  • Dakota Mathias has agreed to sign with the G League Ignite, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 26-year-old played eight games for the Sixers as one of their two-way contracts last season, and Scotto reports that several teams have interest in him as a two-way player again this year. Mathias averaged six PPG and 1.6 APG in 15.4 minutes a night for Philadelphia.

Olympic Notes: Johnson, Garland, Bey, Durant, Satoransky

The Spurs’ Keldon Johnson, Cavaliers’ Darius Garland and Pistons’ Saddiq Bey will move up from the U.S. Select Team and play for Team USA in exhibition games, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

The trio will fill in for Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, who will join Team USA after the Finals. Johnson, Garland and Bey would be candidates to join Team USA for the Olympics if any players have to bow out.

Exhibition games in Las Vegas will begin on Saturday with a matchup against Nigeria.

We have more on the Olympics:

  • Select Team members Cameron Reynolds, Josh Magette, John Jenkins and Dakota Mathias will remain in Las Vegas and will be available for exhibition games, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. The pool of Select Team players has been reduced by injuries and COVID-19 protocols. Timberwolves big man Naz Reid suffered a minor injury in Thursday’s practice, Windhorst adds.
  • Nets superstar Kevin Durant will look to collect his third gold medal in Tokyo and he’s energized by that possibility, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “I committed to USA Basketball when I was coming out of college,” Durant said. “And every chance that I can get that I’m healthy and my mind is in the right place to play basketball, I’m going to go out there and play. Finished the year off healthy, the regular season and the playoffs, so I felt it’d be cool to get a kickstart on next season by getting in shape a little earlier in the summer with Team USA.”
  • Bulls guard Zach LaVine will be facing backcourt partner Tomas Satoransky in Group A play and he’s looking forward to the matchup, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago relays. Satoransky will play for the Czech Republic, which is in Team USA’s Group along with Iran and France. “I’m looking forward to playing them and having some bragging rights,” LaVine said good-naturedly. “Hopefully, we really kick their butt.”

Roster Announced For U.S. Select Team

The roster has been released for the U.S. Select Team, which will help Team USA prepare for the Olympics, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Select Team, which will practice with and scrimmage against the national team during the upcoming training camp in Las Vegas, is made up mostly of first- and second-year NBA players. It will be coached by Erik Spoelstra of the Heat.

Making up the roster are:

And-Ones: Evans, Spellman, Buyouts, Lauvergne, Mathias

The Pelicans’ NBAGL affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, has acquired guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman to replace Jordan Bell, who was recently called up to the Wizards on a 10-day deal, and Rawle Alkins, whom the BayHawks waived, per Michael Somrak of GLeague.com.

Evans and Spellman will join the BayHawks for the G League’s 2021 season in an Orlando “bubble” campus environment. Evans has logged parts of the last two seasons with the Warriors and Timberwolves. Spellman has played for the Warriors and the Hawks across his two years of NBA action.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Zach Harper of The Athletic takes an early gander at buyout possibilities around the NBA, two months before most buyouts transpire. Harper expects contenders like the Nets, Lakers, Clippers, Sixers and Bucks to be aggressive in seeking to build out their contending rosters. Harper anticipates the list of available names to potentially include veterans like Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, Pistons point guard Derrick Rose, Hornets center Cody Zeller, Cavs center JaVale McGee, and Bulls forward Otto Porter.
  • Former NBA big man Joffrey Lauvergne has inked a two-year extension with Lithuanian EuroLeague club Žalgiris, the team announced on its site. The deal, which includes a guaranteed season and an option, will keep him under contract through the 2022/23 season. Lauvergne is averaging 11.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG with Žalgiris. The 6″11″ center/power forward enjoyed NBA stints with the Nuggets, Thunder, Bulls and Spurs, averaging 5.6 PPG (on 47.9% shooting from the floor), 3.8 RPG, and 0.9 APG across 208 total NBA contests.
  • Ex-Sixers shooting guard Dakota Mathias is set to join the Team USA roster for the AmeriCup qualifying tournament for two games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 19 and 20, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Fellow NBA alumni Isaiah Thomas and Joe Johnson will also represent USA Basketball. By benefit of a 4-0 record across prior qualifying contests, Team USA has technically already qualified for the 2022 AmeriCup tournament.

Sixers Waive Dakota Mathias

The Sixers are waiving guard Dakota Mathias, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com reports. The team has confirmed the transaction (Twitter link).

Mathias was playing on a two-way contract, so the move will open up one of those slots. However, the Sixers don’t plan to fill it right away. The decision to cut ties with Mathias was done to create flexibility for opportunities that may become available down the road, Neubeck adds.

Forward Paul Reed holds the other two-way contract.

A former Purdue standout, Mathias had appeared in eight games, including two starts, as a result of the team’s COVID-19 issues. He was averaging 6.0 PPG on 39.6% shooting and 1.6 APG in 15.4 MPG.

Mathias, 25, played last season for the Mavericks’ affiliate, the Texas Legends. He averaged 18.1 PPG and 3.1 APG while shooting 39.5% on 3-point attempts.