Category: Memphis Grizzlies Blog

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Grizzlies sign Dakota Mathias to second 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed wing Dakota Mathias to a second 10-day contract under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Mathias (6-4, 200) signed his first 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on Dec. 29 and totaled six points and two rebounds in four minutes over four games.

Undrafted in 2018 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at Purdue, the 26-year-old has appeared in 12 career games (two starts) for the Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers and has averaged 4.5 points and 1.1 assists in 10.9 minutes. He also played 42 games for the NBA G League’s Texas Legends during the 2019-20 season and averaged 18.1 points while shooting 39.5% from 3-point range.

Grizzlies sign Jon Teske to 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed center Jon Teske to a 10-day contract under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Teske (7-1, 265) has appeared in 29 games (19 starts) in two seasons with the NBA G League’s Lakeland Magic and has averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.7 minutes. He started all three playoff games for Lakeland last season and averaged 10.7 points to help the Magic capture the 2021 NBA G League championship.

The 24-year-old competed in 129 games (70 starts) over four years at the University of Michigan and finished his collegiate career as the Wolverines’ all-time winningest player (108) and fifth in school history in blocks (165). A native of Medina, Ohio, Teske went unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Grizzlies sign Tyrell Terry to a two-way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Tyrell Terry to a two-way contract.

Terry (6-1, 170) has appeared in 13 games over his first two seasons with the Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks since he was selected by Dallas with the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old started all 13 appearances for the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle as a rookie last season and averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 29.4 minutes.

The Minneapolis native started 31 games and averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.39 steals in 32.5 minutes while shooting 40.8% from 3-point range during his lone season at Stanford University, where he was named to the 2019-20 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have a maximum of two players under two-way contracts in addition to the players under standard NBA contracts. A two-way player for the Grizzlies is also eligible to provide services to the Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate.

Grizzlies sign Killian Tillie to a multi-year contract, and waive Sam Merrill

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward Killian Tillie to a multi-year contract.

And in a related move, the Grizzlies waived guard Sam Merrill.

Tillie (6-10, 220) has appeared in 40 games (one start) in his first two seasons with the Grizzlies and has averaged 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes. The 23-year-old also has started two games for the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle and has averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 29.6 minutes.

A native of Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, Tillie played collegiately at Gonzaga University, where he shot at least 40% from 3-point range in all four years with the Bulldogs and earned 2019-20 All-WCC First Team honors as a senior. After going unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft, he signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on Nov. 24, 2020, and re-signed on Aug. 11, 2021.

Merrill (6-4, 205) appeared in six games for Memphis this season and averaged 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.7 minutes. Selected with the 60th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Utah State University, Merrill holds NBA career averages of 3.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.1 minutes in 36 games (two starts) for the Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks. Memphis acquired the 25-year-old from Milwaukee along with two future second round draft picks on Aug. 7, 2021.

Grizzlies sign DaQuan Jeffries to a 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed wing DaQuan Jeffries to a 10-day contract under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Jeffries (6-5, 230) has appeared in 44 games (five starts) in his first two NBA seasons and has averaged 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.4 minutes for the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets.

In addition, the 24-year-old has competed in 35 NBA G League games (29 starts) and has averaged 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.11 steals in 30.0 minutes for the Stockton Kings and College Park Skyhawks. He has appeared in eight games (seven starts) for the Skyhawks this season and has averaged 15.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.25 steals in 26.6 minutes while shooting 48.0% from 3-point range, which ranks sixth in the NBA G League.

The Edmond, Okla., native went unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft after spending the final two years of his collegiate career at the University of Tulsa.

Grizzlies sign Dakota Mathias to a 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed wing Dakota Mathias to a 10-day contract, under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Mathias (6-4, 200) appeared in eight games (two starts) and averaged 6.0 points and 1.6 assists in 15.4 minutes last season as a rookie for the Philadelphia 76ers. The 26-year-old started all 42 of his appearances for the NBA G League’s Texas Legends during the 2019-20 season and averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.02 steals in 36.1 minutes while shooting 39.5% from 3-point range on 8.8 long-range attempts per game.

Unselected in the 2018 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career at Purdue, Mathias played his first professional season for Joventut Badalona in the Spanish ACB.

Grizzlies sign Xavier Sneed to a 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward Xavier Sneed to a 10-day contract, under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Sneed (6-5, 215) has appeared in 27 games (24 starts) in his first two seasons with the NBA G League’s Greensboro Swarm following a four-year collegiate career at Kansas State University. Unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old has appeared in 14 games for the Swarm this season and has averaged 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.86 steals in 26.3 minutes while shooting 50.5% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.

Memphis Grizzlies sign Tyrell Terry and Shaq Buchanan to 10-day contracts

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guards Tyrell Terry and Shaq Buchanan to 10-day contracts, under the NBA’s COVID-related hardship exception.

Terry (6-2, 170) appeared in 11 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season, totaling 11 points, six rebounds and six assists in 56 minutes following a one-year collegiate career at Stanford University. The No. 31 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the 21-year-old competed in 13 games (all starts) for the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle last season and averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.08 steals in 29.4 minutes while shooting 42.4% from the field and 33.9% from 3-point range.

Buchanan (6-3, 190) has appeared in 61 games (31 starts) in three seasons with the NBA G League’s Memphis Hustle following a two-year collegiate career at Murray State University. Unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old has appeared in 13 games for the Hustle this season and has averaged 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.69 steals in 35.5 minutes while shooting 40.3% from the field and 27.5% from 3-point range.

Grizzlies sign Jaren Jackson Jr. to contract extension

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. to a multi-year contract extension.

Per the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “Jackson agreed to a four-year, $105 million rookie contract extension, a league source told The Commercial Appeal. The source requested anonymity because terms of the deal have not been made public. Jackson’s new deal is the third largest in franchise history behind Mike Conley’s five-year, $153 million extension in 2016 and Marc Gasol signing a five-year, $113 million extension in 2015.”

Jackson Jr. has appeared in 126 games (117 starts) over three seasons with the Grizzlies and has averaged 15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.52 blocks in 26.9 minutes.

The 22-year-old was selected by Memphis with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after one year at Michigan State University, where he became the second player ever to be named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. Jackson Jr. was named to the 2018-19 NBA All-Rookie First Team and was selected to the NBA Rising Stars teams in 2019 and 2020 as part of NBA All-Star Weekends in Charlotte and Chicago.

During the 2019-20 season, Jackson Jr. scored a career-high 43 points and tied the franchise record with nine 3-pointers made against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 13, 2019, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (at 20 years, 83 days) to make at least nine threes in a game. He also set club records for points in a single quarter (26, third quarter) and a single half (34, second half) and 3-pointers in a single quarter (seven, third quarter) and single half (eight, second half).

No other player in NBA history has reached Jackson Jr.’s number of 3-pointers made (213) and blocks (192) within his first 126 career games. He ranks second in franchise history in blocks per game and 10th in total blocks.

Memphis Grizzlies waive Kris Dunn, David Stockton and Matthew Hurt

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived guard Kris Dunn, forward Matthew Hurt and guard David Stockton to finalize the 2021-22 regular season roster.

The Grizzlies will tip-off the 2021-22 regular season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at FedExForum.

Dunn (6-3, 205), who was acquired from Boston via trade on Sept. 15, appeared in one preseason game for the Grizzlies on Oct. 5. The 27-year-old has appeared in 231 games (126 starts) and has averaged 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 24.1 minutes in five seasons with the Timberwolves, Bulls and Hawks since he was selected fifth overall in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Providence.

Hurt (6-9, 235), who was signed on Oct. 14, was selected to the 2020-21 All-ACC First Team and was named the 2020-21 ACC Most Improved Player after scoring a conference-leading 18.3 points last season as a sophomore at Duke. The 21-year-old went unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Stockton (5-11, 165), who was signed on Oct. 15, is a six-year veteran of the NBA G League who averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 29.5 minutes in 15 games last season with the Memphis Hustle. The 30-year-old also has played parts of two NBA seasons with the Sacramento Kings (2014-15) and Utah Jazz (2017-18) since going unselected in the 2014 NBA Draft.