Veteran point guard Derrick Rose won’t receive any of his $3,356,271 salary for the 2024/25 season after being waived by the Grizzlies, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). According to MacMahon, the full amount will come off Memphis’ books, leaving the team with no cap hit for Rose.
It’s a little surprising that Rose – who will turn 36 next Friday and has been limited to 77 total games over the past three seasons due to injuries – would opt to forfeit a guaranteed $3.3MM+ salary. However, it was reported at the time of his release on Monday that the Grizzlies were letting him go at his request, so it makes sense that the team wasn’t prepared to grant that request and pay him his full salary.
Getting that $3.36MM off the books is important for the Grizzlies, given their proximity to the luxury tax line. Without a cap hit for Rose, Memphis is now approximately $5.98MM below the tax threshold with 13 players on standard contracts. Rose’s buyout will allow the club to carry a full 15-man roster without going into the tax — with his contract on the books, the Grizzlies would’ve gone into tax territory by signing two new players to minimum-salary deals.
That doesn’t mean the Grizzlies will definitely make two roster additions in the coming weeks, as carrying a 14-man standard roster into opening night in order to create some additional in-season flexibility remains an option for the team. However, that extra financial breathing room should come in handy sooner or later. It also gives Memphis the option of using a portion of its mid-level exception to offer more than the veteran’s minimum to a 14th man without going into the tax.
Rose is the second player in 2024/25 to give up his entire remaining salary as part of a buyout agreement. Sasha Vezenkov surrendered his $6.66MM salary with the Raptors in order to return to Europe on a lucrative long-term deal with Olympiacos.