Grizzlies Notes: Trade Options, GG Jackson, Morant, JJJ, More
Reporting on Monday suggested the Grizzlies were among the teams discussing the possibility of pursuing Jimmy Butler, but a Tuesday report stated that Memphis has been advised not to trade for the 35-year-old, who is allegedly uninterested in joining the Western Conference’s current No. 3 seed.
If that puts an end to the idea of the Grizzlies acquiring Butler, what are the most logical alternatives on the trade market for the front office? Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal weighs that question, suggesting three possible paths for the team.
Checking in on Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is one option the Grizzlies could consider, according to Cole, who says focusing on Nets forward Cameron Johnson might also make sense for a team that could use an upgrade on the wing.
Of course, standing pat and seeing how this version of the team performs down the stretch and in the postseason is another viable route, Cole writes, noting that it could benefit the Grizzlies to take a longer look at youngsters like GG Jackson and Vince Williams once they’re healthy.
Here’s more out of Memphis:
- Speaking of Jackson, he appears to be nearing his season debut after recovering from offseason surgery on his right foot. The Grizzlies announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that the second-year forward was assigned to the Memphis Hustle to participate in today’s practice.
- Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been out of his sling for at least four days and is doing more on-court work as he moves closer to a return from his shoulder injury, Cole writes for The Commercial Appeal. “It is going to be on the shorter term than the longer term,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Monday. “He is making progress. I cannot pinpoint a game, but I don’t think that it will be much longer.”
- In two more Commercial Appeal stories, Cole examines Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s growing case for All-Star consideration and details a memorable day for brothers Cam Spencer of the Grizzlies and Pat Spencer of the Warriors, who shared the same NBA court for the first time on Saturday in Golden State and even spent a few possessions guarding one another.
- Grizzlies point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. recently spoke to Grant Afseth of RG.org about stepping into a starting role with Morant sidelined, why and how he’s succeeded in Memphis, and the lessons he learned from his Hall-of-Fame father Scottie Pippen, among other topics.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for games played in December, while Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley has claimed the award in the East, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson averaged 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks in 28.7 minutes per game over 14 appearances last month. He posted a shooting line of .464/.384/.780.
Jackson was the only player in the NBA to have 20-plus steals and 20-plus blocks last month, per the league, with Memphis ranking third in the West in defensive rating over that stretch.
Mobley, who made the All-Defensive First Team alongside Jackson in 2023, averaged 18.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG on .589/.524/.696 shooting 12 December games (28.9 MPG). The Cavs led the East in defensive rating last month. Mobley was tied for second in the East in contested shots per game in December (10.0).
The Cavaliers, who have won eight straight and hold the best record in the league (29-4), have the NBA’s top offense and eighth-best defense. Memphis, which has the second-best record in the West at 23-11, ranks fifth and fourth in those categories, respectively.
Jackson beat out Toumani Camara, Anthony Davis, Kris Dunn, Walker Kessler and Victor Wembanyama in the West. The other nominees in the East were Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Suggs (Twitter link).
Wembanyama and Daniels won the awards for games played in October and November. This is the first season in which the monthly defensive honors have been given.
Grizzlies Notes: Jackson, Morant, Edey, Bane, Williams
After winning over 50 games in back-to-back seasons, the Grizzlies were decimated by injuries in 2023/24 and finished with a 27-55 record. As demoralizing as that season was, the team was able to find some silver linings. One was the offensive emergence of big man Jaren Jackson Jr., the only starter to remain relatively healthy — his 30.4% usage rate in ’23/24 dwarfed his previous career high.
“It was just a huge opportunity,” Jackson told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I haven’t ever been put in a position to be that offensively free in probably my life. Just getting those experiences, I can take that to any year that I have going forward.”
“Last year was a huge boost in his growth offensively,” head coach Taylor Jenkins added. “It was definitely an unintended opportunity, obviously as unfortunate as last season was, but his development was one of the brightest spots I could see.”
Jackson has carried those offensive strides over to ’24/25, matching his career-high 22.5 points per game through his first 10 outings and scoring much more efficiently (.547 FG%, .392 3PT%) than he did a year ago (.444/.320).
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, meanwhile, served a 25-game suspension to start the season, then was active for just nine games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that kept him out of action for the next 10 months. Obviously, that wasn’t an ideal outcome for the rising star, but he believes the experience could benefit him in the long run.
“I’d say it was for the better,” Morant said, per MacMahon. “It allowed me to lock in mentally, focus more. I was able to be around my family a lot during my recovery process, being able to travel, feel human again, go to my AAU teams’ games, watch them win, watch the joy that they have being out there playing. It had me itching to get back on the floor.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Morant is still on crutches and is considered week-to-week as he recovers from a right hip subluxation and pelvic muscle strains, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who spoke to sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon Michael Gerhardt about Morant’s diagnosis and potential recovery timeline. “Based on what the reports are, I’d say it could be anywhere from three-to-six weeks for a return to play,” Gerhardt said, noting that the injury is an uncommon one for basketball players.
- Ahead of this year’s draft, some teams didn’t have Zach Edey on their first-round boards, sources tell MacMahon. However, the Grizzlies were happy to select him with the No. 9 overall pick and made him a day-one starter. Edey has come off the bench in Memphis’ past three games, but Jenkins said that move wasn’t meant to be a demotion for the rookie and that it was designed to let the team evaluate different lineup combinations. Mark Medina of Athlon Sports has more on the Grizzlies’ belief in Edey and the early stages of his NBA career.
- Vince Williams (left tibial stress reaction), who has yet to make his season debut, isn’t the only injured Grizzlies player who is close to returning. Desmond Bane (right oblique strain) is also listed as questionable to play on Friday in Golden State after missing Memphis’ past seven games, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com. Both Williams and Bane participated in today’s shootaround and their availability vs. the Warriors will be determined after pregame workouts, Wallace adds.
Injury Notes: Wiseman, Jackson, Ball, Jackson, Eason, Hornets
Pacers center James Wiseman underwent successful surgery on Thursday night to repair his torn left Achilles tendon, as Shams Charania of ESPN first reported (via Twitter). While Achilles tears are typically season-ending injuries, Indiana is still determining Wiseman’s recovery timeline, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, and head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Friday that Wiseman hasn’t been ruled out for the season yet.
“This was terrible luck,” Carlisle said in discussing the injury. “Great kid who had an amazing summer of preparation, really good preseason. Training camp was also really good. It’s just one of those things. Just a very odd circumstance. Very unlucky.”
The Pacers’ other backup center, Isaiah Jackson, missed Wednesday’s regular season opener due to a right groin strain, but he has been cleared to suit up for Friday’s game in New York, Dopirak writes in a separate story for The Indy Star. Still, with Wiseman seemingly unlikely to play again this season, Carlisle didn’t rule out the possibility of adding another center to the roster.
“I would think that our people are getting a few phone calls today from agents and stuff like that,” Carlisle said. “I’ve not been focusing on that. The good news for us is Isaiah Jackson will be back and available. That’s very good news. We will just right now focus on the guys we have on the roster that are ready to go and come out with guns blazing. That’s what you gotta do in this situation.”
The Pacers have an open 15-man roster spot, and while they don’t have a ton of breathing room below the luxury tax line, they could add a free agent big man on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract and stay out of tax territory while maintaining the flexibility to waive that player before the league-wide salary guarantee date.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Lonzo Ball‘s limit of 16 minutes per game is going to remain in place “for some time,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. But the veteran point guard came away from his regular season debut on Wednesday feeling fine and will play in Saturday’s home opener vs. Oklahoma City after sitting out the first end of Chicago’s back-to-back in Milwaukee on Friday, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links). Wednesday represented Ball’s first regular season action since January 2022 due to multiple knee surgeries.
- Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. won’t play on Friday vs. Houston, having been ruled out due to his left hamstring strain (Twitter link). The team was said to be targeting this weekend for Jackson’s return, so we’ll see if he’s able to make his season debut on Saturday at home vs. Orlando.
- After describing Steven Adams‘ availability as “game-to-game” as he returns from knee surgery that cost him the entire 2023/24 season, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said forward Tari Eason is in a similar boat, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Eason, who missed most of last season due to leg surgery, was active on Wednesday and isn’t on the injury report for Friday’s game vs. Memphis, but may not suit up for the second end of Houston’s back-to-back set on Saturday in San Antonio (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
- Josh Green (left Achilles soreness) and Tidjane Salaun (left finger sprain) have been upgraded to available for the Hornets‘ game in Atlanta on Friday. Neither player has made his Hornets regular season debut, but both could see action tonight.
Injury Notes: Kawhi, Vassell, Sharpe, Huerter, Grizzlies, Livers
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
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.
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.”
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.
Marcus Smart Talks Edey, Morant, Grizzlies’ Defense, More
Grizzlies swingman Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, is a huge fan of what he’s seeing out of Memphis’ first round draft pick this year, as he said during an interview with Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda.
Waylaid by injuries to starters Smart, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Steven Adams (before Adams was shipped out to Houston midseason), Memphis fell into the lottery last year with a 27-55 record.
The benefit of that drop-off is the addition of a permanent Adams replacement in No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey, a super-sized All-American center out of Purdue.
“He’s gonna be huge for us,” Smart said of Edey. “He allows us to do a lot of different things on the defensive end. He lets me and Jaren really give everything we’ve got. Being former Defensive Players of the Year, it’s great to have that rim protection behind us. And being 7’4″ definitely helps with that. He moves very well, his IQ is very high, and he’s only continuing to get better.”
The conversation is well worth reading in full, but here are some highlights:
- When asked about the efficacy of pick-and-roll actions between Morant and Edey, Smart was exuberant. “Oh it’s going to be deadly, man,” Smart said. “It’s just going to open up things even more for us, especially for Ja. We all know what Ja can do with a little bit of space, so just imagine what he can do with a lot of space cleared out by a big like Zach.”
- The Grizzlies field what should on paper be one of the league’s best defenses. After all, Jackson earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023, a season after Smart won the award. The arrival of Edey is expected to fortify Memphis’ interior protection. “We have a high ceiling,” Morant said. “If we can stay locked in and figure it out early on, we can be really good, especially defensively. We’ve got the talent, the guys can do it, and the definition of what it takes.”
- Last year, Jackson looked to score more with Morant out for all but nine games. He, too, eventually went down, but Smart believes the experience was ultimately beneficial for the big man’s long-term offensive flexibility. “We asked Jaren to take on more offensively, and that takes a toll on the body,” Smart noted. “He’s been able to learn more about himself, more about the team, and what he can do to help us. That’s what we need.”
Grizzlies’ Jared Jackson Jr. Has Mild Hamstring Strain
OCTOBER 2: Imaging revealed a low-grade hamstring strain for Jackson, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins, who called it very good news and said there’s no concern at this point that the big man will miss the start of the regular season (Twitter link via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal).
OCTOBER 1: The Grizzlies couldn’t get through the first day of training camp without another injury popping up, this one to their top frontcourt player.
Jaren Jackson Jr. injured his hamstring while driving to the basket. Jackson felt “tightness” after the play, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins, and he’ll undergo an MRI, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reports. Jenkins speculates that Jackson will be diagnosed with a strain, which could keep him out the remainder of camp and jeopardize his chances of playing in the regular season opener.
Memphis’ 2023/24 season was wrecked by injuries and the Grizzlies already had two players dealing with injuries that will keep them out of training camp and beyond.
The team announced last week that Vince Williams would be out at least four weeks due to a left leg ailment. GG Jackson underwent foot surgery in early September with a reevaluation scheduled for three months from the time of the procedure.
Santi Aldama could see some extended playing time at power forward until Jackson and/or Williams return.