THURSDAY, 7:58am: Williams is making a little more than $200K, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link).
11:15pm: Williams’ salary is closer to $300K in total value rather than the $1MM previously relayed, Johnson tweets.
WEDNESDAY, 11:14am: Williams will get $1MM for three months, Johnson hears (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 7:53am: The signing is official, the team announced (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
MONDAY, 7:00pm: Elliot Williams, who played five games with the Grizzlies last month, has signed with Panathinaikos of Greece, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. The offer was “too good to pass up,” according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link). Williams was the D-League’s leading scorer, averaging 28.4 points per game with the Santa Cruz Warriors, and his absence means a replacement will have to be found for the league’s All-Star Game, Johnson adds (on Twitter).
The 6’5″ combo guard scored eight points in 45 minutes of playing time in his brief stay with the Grizzlies. Williams signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on January 8th, but he was let go when that deal expired. Once starting point guard Mike Conley returned from injury, the Grizzlies decided to sign Ryan Hollins to a 10-day deal instead.
The 26-year-old Williams has bounced around the NBA, mostly on 10-day contracts, since the Blazers drafted him in 22nd in 2010. He has also played for the Sixers, Jazz and Pelicans.
It’s good to see a guy like Williams get a nice payday somewhere. At age 26, it’s less and less likely that he’ll find a long-term spot with an NBA team.