The Grizzlies have officially acquired the rights to Nick Calathes from the Mavericks, Memphis announced today in a press release. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported last night that the two sides were close to a deal.
According to the Grizzlies' press release, the 2016 second-round pick Memphis already owed the Mavs is now unprotected. It had previously been top-55 protected.
Calathes, a second-round pick in 2009, has spent the last several seasons playing overseas, most recently for Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia. The 24-year-old guard was named the 2012/13 EuroCup MVP after averaging 12.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 6.7 APG while shooting 52.1% in 17 contests during the EuroCup competition.
Stein's original story suggested that although Calathes is under contract with Lokomotiv Kazan for the coming season, he has an NBA out clause in his deal, and is hoping to make the jump to the Association sooner rather than later.