2:14pm: Thomas is among several players Memphis is considering for a 10-day contract, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. The chances are 50-50 that the Grizzlies will sign Thomas, sources tell Tillery, who suggests that the greater level of hesitance exists on the power forward’s side, given the team’s deep frontcourt.
8:34am: The Grizzlies and Tyrus Thomas are having serious conversations about a would-be 10-day deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The former No. 4 overall pick last week joined the Iowa Energy, the D-League affiliate of the Grizzlies, when the Energy claimed him off D-League waivers, and Memphis worked him out prior to that move, Spears writes. The Grizzlies have an open spot on their NBA roster, so they wouldn’t need to make a corresponding transaction to add the 28-year-old power forward.
Memphis has been interested in Thomas for a while, having reportedly worked him out in November around the same time the Lakers also gave him an audition. Still, the former Bull and Bobcat hasn’t signed an NBA contract since Charlotte waived him using the amnesty clause in the summer of 2013. Thomas had nearly $18.083MM in salary remaining on his deal with the then-Bobcats, and that’s been coming his way even though it doesn’t count against Charlotte’s cap. So, there’s been no pressing financial need for Thomas to get back into the Association, though it appears he’s been making a concerted effort to do since having a cyst removed from his spinal cord last March and hiring agent Roger Montgomery this past fall. Thomas has averaged 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game in two appearances for the D-League Energy.
James McAdoo rejected a 10-day offer from the Grizzlies to sign one from the Warriors instead, and the same was true when JaMychal Green inked with the Spurs, according to Spears, who notes that Memphis has been looking to add a power forward (Twitter link). GM Chris Wallace and company have shown a willingness this season to see what it can get from former top-five picks who’ve fallen out of favor, having signed 2008 No. 2 selection Michael Beasley to a non-guaranteed contract prior to the preseason. Beasley failed to make the regular season roster, but it appears Thomas is close to doing so.