Category: Memphis Grizzlies Blog

Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement of his left ankle Tuesday afternoon after non-surgical interventions failed to eliminate his posterior tibialis tendinopathy.

Translation: His ankle was messed up, and surgery wound up being the best option.

The procedure was performed at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis and Wright will begin rehabilitation in Memphis immediately.

The 6-10, 230-pound forward/center has been sidelined for all 10 of the team’s regular season games this season and last appeared in the Oct. 6 preseason contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced the team has exercised the third-year contract option on forward Jarell Martin. Martin is now signed through the 2017-18 season.

Martin (6-10, 239) competed in 27 regular season games (zero starts) during his rookie season and averaged 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.1 minutes for Memphis after being selected by the team in the first round (25th overall) of the 2015 NBA Draft. He did not appear in the Grizzlies’ opening-night victory on Oct. 26 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 22-year-old also appeared in 10 games (six starts) last season for the Grizzlies’ NBA Development League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, and averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 28.9 minutes.

A native of Baton Rouge, La., Martin played two seasons (2013-15) at Louisiana State University, appearing in 65 games (57 starts) for the Tigers, and averaged 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.7 minutes while earning consensus First Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore. He guided the Tigers to the postseason in both of his seasons at LSU, including the 2014 National Invitation Tournament and the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced the team has waived guard Jordan Adams and center Matt Costello to finalize its 15-man 2016-17 regular season roster.

Adams (6-5, 209) appeared in 32 games (zero starts) over two seasons with the Grizzlies and averaged 3.2 points and 0.9 rebounds in 8.2 minutes. The 22-year-old Atlanta native was selected by Memphis in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft following a two-year collegiate career at UCLA.

Costello (6-9, 245), recently signed on Oct. 20, did not appear in a preseason game with the Grizzlies but averaged 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 9.0 minutes in two preseason contests with the Atlanta Hawks. The 23-year-old Linwood, Mich. native went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at Michigan State University.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 15 players

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived forward JaKarr Sampson, guard/forward Wayne Selden Jr. and guard/forward D.J. Stephens.

Sampson (6-9, 214), signed by Memphis on Oct. 21, did not appear in a preseason game with the Grizzlies. He competed in one preseason contest for the Denver Nuggets, totaling 10 points and three rebounds in 20 minutes, before he was waived on Oct. 15.

Selden (6-5, 230), who joined Memphis on Aug. 8, competed in five preseason games (one start) for the Grizzlies and averaged 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.6 minutes.

Stephens (6-5, 188), signed by Memphis on Aug. 8, appeared in five preseason contests (one start) for the Grizzlies and averaged 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.40 steals in 23.5 minutes.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 17 players.

The Grizzlies signed forward JaKarr Sampson and waived guard Kellen Dunham today.

Sampson (6-9, 214) has appeared in 147 career regular season games (72 starts) over his two-year NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets and holds career averages of 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.6 minutes. The 23-year-old has also competed in two NBA Development League games (two starts) for the Delaware 87ers and averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.00 steals and 1.00 blocks in 31.7 minutes.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Sampson went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at St. John’s University, where he was named the 2012-13 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.

Dunham (6-6, 205) was signed on Oct. 20 and did not appear in a preseason game. The 23-year-old Pendleton, Ind. native went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at Butler University.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 20 players.

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced the team has signed center Matt Costello and guard Kellen Dunham. The deals are likely non-guaranteed and only for preseason, which ends in a few days.

Costello (6-9, 245) most recently was a member of the Atlanta Hawks’ preseason roster, coming off the bench in two games and averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 9.0 minutes. The 23-year-old Linwood, Mich. native went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at Michigan State University, where he was named Second Team All-Big Ten by the media and Third Team All-Big Ten by the coaches as a senior.

Dunham (6-6, 205) last played for the Grizzlies at the 2016 Summer League in Las Vegas, making four reserve appearances and averaging 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.9 minutes. The 23-year-old Pendleton, Ind. native was unselected in the 2016 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career at Butler University, where he was named First Team All-Big East as a junior.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 20 players.

The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard Chris Crawford and forward Vince Hunter today.

Crawford (6-4, 222), originally signed on Sept. 23, made four preseason appearances (zero starts) for the Grizzlies and averaged 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 16.3 minutes.

Hunter (6-8, 208), who was signed on Oct. 9, competed in four preseason games (zero starts) for Memphis and averaged 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 19.4 minutes.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 18 players.

The Grizzlies signed forward Vince Hunter today. It is probably a non-guaranteed contract that won’t keep Hunter on the team beyond preseason.

Hunter (6-10, 208) was a member of the Grizzlies’ 2016 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, where he appeared in five games (one start) and averaged 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.80 steals in 21.8 minutes while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.

The 22-year-old Detroit native began his professional career last season, joining the Sacramento Kings for training camp and splitting the season with the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns and Panathinaikos in Greece. In Reno, he started all 32 of his games with the Bighorns and averaged 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.00 steals and 1.53 blocks in 31.9 minutes while shooting 58.9 percent from the field. He represented the West in the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game and recorded 12 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

Hunter went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft following two seasons at the University of Texas-El Paso, where he was named 2014-15 First Team All-Conference USA as a sophomore and the 2013-14 C-USA Freshman of the Year.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 20 players.

The Grizzlies have waived guard Tony Wroten.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Wroten played in one preseason game with the Grizzlies, and produced two points, one assist and one steal in six minutes on Oct. 6 against the Hawks.

Drafted by Memphis in the first round (25th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft following his freshman season at the University of Washington, the 23-year-old has appeared in 145 regular season games (34 starts) over his four-year NBA career and averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 21.2 minutes for the Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 19 players.