Grizzlies Sign Jay Huff To Four-Year Contract

8:55pm: Huff has officially signed the multiyear deal, according to a team press release.

3:32pm: The Grizzlies are converting center Jay Huff from his two-way deal to a standard, four-year contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Memphis has an open 15-man roster spot, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Huff has been outstanding for the Grizzlies to begin the year, averaging 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 63.6% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc. He has helped the Grizzlies win two of their first three games to open the season.

The Grizzlies could theoretically have kept Huff on his two-way deal well into the season, as teams are permitted to have two-way players active for 50 games apiece if they have 15 players on the standard roster or 90 combined games if they have 14 (like the Grizzlies did).

However, given the way Huff impressed the team in training camp, the preseason, and the regular season, the front office decided there was no reason to wait on promoting him.

As in recent years, Memphis is rewarding an impressive young player who had been on a two-way deal with a team-friendly long-term contract. GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr. each followed a similar path, with Pippen’s promotion occurring less than two weeks ago.

Huff went undrafted in 2021 after playing his college ball at Virginia. He spent time on two-ways with the Lakers, Wizards and Nuggets, but didn’t catch on with any of them at the NBA level despite earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in the G League in 2023.

The Grizzlies now have a two-way slot available. They can fill that with any player with fewer than four years of NBA experience. Maozinha Pereira, who earned a 10-day contract with the team and spent training camp with the Grizzlies, is one option worth keeping an eye on.