Memphis Grizzlies Blog – Page 6 – NBA Blog

Grizzlies sign Jason Preston and Timmy Allen, waive Matthew Hurt and Mychal Mulder

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Jason Preston and wing Timmy Allen.

In addition, the Grizzlies waived forward Matthew Hurt and guard Mychal Mulder.

Preston (6-3, 181) appeared in 37 games (33 starts) for the Ontario Clippers last season during the NBA G League Showcase and regular season and averaged 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 32.8 minutes. The Orlando native also saw action in 14 games during his NBA rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers and averaged 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 8.8 minutes. Selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the 24-year-old was named to the 2020-21 All-MAC First Team as a junior at Ohio.

Allen (6-6, 210) started all 35 games and averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes last season as a redshirt senior at Texas. The Arizona native was named to the 2021-22 All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team the previous season with the Longhorns following three years at Utah, where he was selected to the 2020-21 All-Pac 12 First Team. Undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, the 23-year-old competed for the Grizzlies during the 2023 Salt Lake Summer League and NBA Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas.

Hurt (6-9, 235), who signed with Memphis on Sept. 30, appeared in two preseason games and totaled three points, three rebounds and one assist. The 23-year-old Minnesota native appeared in 45 games (13 starts) for the Memphis Hustle last season and averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.0 minutes during the NBA G League Showcase and regular season.

Mulder (6-3, 184), who also signed with Memphis on Sept. 30, competed in two preseason games and recorded three points and two rebounds. The 29-year-old native of Canada has played three NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat and five NBA G League seasons with the Windy City Bulls and Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Grizzlies sign Shaquille Harrison

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Shaquille Harrison.

Harrison (6-4, 195), who signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies during the 2021-22 season, has competed in 180 regular season games (23 starts) over six NBA seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers and has averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.4 minutes. Last season, he averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 24.0 minutes in five regular season games for the Trail Blazers before appearing in eight playoff games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 29-year-old Kansas City, Mo., native also started all 50 of his NBA G League appearances with the South Bay Lakers during the 2022-23 regular season and G League Showcase and averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.1 minutes. He was named the 2021-22 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year as a member of the Delaware Blue Coats.

Harrison went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Tulsa.

Grizzlies sign GG Jackson II to Two-Way contract

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward GG Jackson II to a Two-Way contract.

Jackson II (6-9, 215), the No. 45 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was named to the 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team after appearing in 32 games (29 starts) and averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 31.9 minutes for the University of South Carolina.

The 18-year-old South Carolina native averaged 10.6 points, including 1.9 3-pointers made per game and 4.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes in eight games (two starts) during the 2023 Salt Lake City Summer League and NBA2K24 Summer League 2023 in Las Vegas.

Grizzlies sign Derrick Rose

The Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, July 3 signed guard Derrick Rose.

A 14-year NBA veteran, Rose (6-3, 200) has appeared in 699 regular season games (511 starts) and has averaged 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 31.0 minutes for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons. Last season, the 34-year-old recorded 5.6 points in 12.5 minutes over 27 games with the Knicks.

Rose also has competed in 52 playoff games (44 starts) over eight trips to the postseason and has averaged 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 37.7 minutes.

A native of Chicago, Rose was selected by the Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2011. His other career highlights include a selection to the 2010-11 All-NBA First Team, three consecutive NBA All-Star appearances (2010, 2011, 2012) and 2008-09 All-Rookie First Team honors.

Memphis Grizzlies exercise contract option Xavier Tillman Sr.

The Memphis Grizzlies recently exercised their 2023-24 contract option on forward/center Xavier Tillman Sr.

Tillman Sr. (6-8, 245) has appeared in 173 games (43 starts) and has averaged 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes while shooting 55.2% from the field over three seasons in Memphis. He set career highs across the board last season with averages of 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.3 minutes while shooting 61.4% from the field.

The 24-year-old also has competed in 18 playoff games (12 starts) for the Grizzlies and has averaged 5.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18.9 minutes while shooting 57.3% from the field.

A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Tillman Sr. was acquired by the Grizzlies with the 35th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft following his junior year at Michigan State University, where he was named the 2020 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Three-team NBA trade sends Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics, Marcus Smart to Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, June 23 acquired guard Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade also including the Washington Wizards.

As part of the deal, the Grizzlies traded guard Tyus Jones to the Wizards and traded the draft rights to guard Marcus Sasser (25th overall) and a future first round draft pick to the Celtics.

Washington traded center Kristaps Porzingis to Boston for forward Danilo Gallinari, center Mike Muscala and the draft rights to forward Julian Phillips (35th overall).

A nine-year NBA veteran, Smart (6-3, 220) has competed in 581 regular season games (360 starts) and has averaged 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.0 minutes since he was selected by the Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State. The 29-year-old Texas native holds career playoff averages of 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.1 minutes in 108 games (73 starts), helping the Celtics make three trips to the conference finals and advance to the 2022 NBA Finals.

“Tyus, Danilo and Mike are talented players accustomed to winning,” said Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins. “They bring professionalism, high basketball intelligence, and a team-first mentality. We are delighted they are Wizards.”

Jones, an eight-year NBA guard, is coming off a career season with Memphis, where he set career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (2.5) and assists (5.2) per game in 80 games played (22 starts). On the season, Jones dished 417 assists, the second-most for Memphis, to just 74 turnovers, giving him the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA last season at 5.63. He has appeared in 535 career games with Minnesota and Memphis and holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Gallinari was drafted sixth overall by the New York Knicks in 2008 and has also played with Denver, the L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City and Atlanta in his 13-year NBA career. He signed with the Celtics during the 2022 offseason before suffering a season-ending left ACL injury while playing for the Italian national team in a FIBA World Cup qualifier in August. Gallinari last appeared during the 2021-22 season with the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 66 games. He holds career averages of 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds over 728 games while shooting .382 from three-point range.

Muscala is a 10-year NBA veteran that has played for Atlanta, Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City and Boston. He holds career averages of 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting .457 from the field and .379 from three-point range. Muscala was traded from Oklahoma City to Boston at the 2023 trade deadline and played 20 games for the Celtics to close the season, shooting .472 from the field and .385 from beyond the arc in 16.2 minutes per game.

Porzingis, who was originally acquired by Washington at the 2022 trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks, averaged 22.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in 82 total games with the Wizards.

“Kristaps is a true professional and an exceptionally talented player who established a lasting reputation during his time with the organization,” said Dawkins. “We thank him for his meaningful contributions and we wish him great success in Boston.”

Three-team trade will reportedly send Kristaps Porzingis to Celtics, Marcus Smart to Grizzlies

Via ESPN.com:

The Washington Wizards are completing a three-way deal with the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies that will send Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and Tyus Jones to the Wizards, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Grizzlies are sending the No. 25 pick on Thursday night and a 2024 first-round pick to the Celtics, sources told Wojnarowski.

The Celtics are sending the 35th pick on Thursday to the Wizards in the deal, sources told Wojnarowski.

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant suspended 25 games by the NBA

The NBA announced today that Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league.

PER THE LEAGUE:

Morant posed with a firearm in a car during a live-streamed video on May 13, less than two months after he was suspended eight games without pay for the live streaming of a video on March 4 in which he displayed a firearm while in an intoxicated state at a Denver area nightclub.

The league office found that, on May 13, Morant intentionally and prominently displayed a gun while in a car with several other individuals as they were leaving a social gathering in Memphis. Morant wielded the firearm while knowing that he was being recorded and that the recording was being live streamed on Instagram Live, despite having made commitments to the NBA and public statements that he would not repeat the conduct for which he was previously disciplined. On May 16, Morant issued a statement taking full accountability for his actions.

Morant’s suspension begins immediately and will remain in effect through the first 25 games of the 2023-24 NBA regular season for which he is otherwise eligible and able to play. He will also be required to meet certain conditions before he returns to play and will be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane undergoes procedure on toe

Memphis Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane underwent a procedure today to address a fracture of the medial sesamoid bone in his right big toe.

Bane initially sustained the injury during the Grizzlies’ game on Nov. 11 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and missed the following 17 games, returning to competition on Dec. 23.

The team says that Bane is expected to make a full recovery, in advance of the 2023-24 season.

Via the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

The Grizzlies can sign Bane to a rookie scale contract extension this offseason, and all signs point towards that happening.

“Des is a cornerstone, very significant piece of this group,” Grizzlies general manager and president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said during exit interviews in April. “I think he has an opportunity to really establish himself as a key leader within this group.”

Ja Morant suspended by Grizzlies after showing a gun in another Instagram Live video

Via the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

NBA All-Star point guard Ja Morant has been suspended from all team activities after brandishing a gun in another Instagram Live video, the Memphis Grizzlies announced Sunday.

The viral video was taken from Morant’s close friend Davonte Pack’s Instagram account. Pack was also with Morant on the night of a previous gun incident in a Colorado nightclub in March, and Pack was banned from Grizzlies home games earlier this season after a confrontation with players from the Indiana Pacers.

“We are aware of the social media video involving Ja Morant,” a statement from the Grizzlies read Sunday. “He is suspended from all team activities pending league review. We have no further comment at this time.”

Via ESPN.com:

“We are aware of the social media post involving Ja Morant and are in the process of gathering more information,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement Sunday.

On Saturday, during an Instagram Live session on Morant’s friend Davonte Pack’s account, the All-Star flashed a handgun while driving and singing along with a rap song. The video has since been deleted.

Morant left the Grizzlies and entered a counseling program in March after a video showed him holding a gun while intoxicated at a Denver club when the Grizzlies were in town to play the Nuggets. He was eventually suspended eight games after meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who called Morant’s conduct “irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous.”