Grizzlies To Sign Dariq Whitehead, Toby Okani To 10-Day Deals
The Grizzlies intend to sign former first-round pick Dariq Whitehead to a 10-day contract, agent James Dunleavy tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Memphis also plans to sign free agent forward Toby Okani, agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Whitehead and Okani are almost certainly signing hardship contracts for the injury-ravaged Grizzlies. They’ll essentially be replacing DeJon Jarreau, Tyler Burton, whose second 10-day deals with Memphis expired on Wednesday night. Players can only sign two 10-day pacts with the same team in a given season, which is why Jarreau and Burton weren’t brought back a third time.
A top high school recruit who played one year of college basketball at Duke, Whitehead’s career has been derailed by a series of injuries. He only played 22 for the Nets over his first two NBA seasons, and he was waived by Brooklyn in October despite having a guaranteed contract in 2025/26.
Still just 21 years old, Whitehead has spent the 2025/26 campaign in the G League after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder a few days after he was cut by the Nets. In 28 combined appearances (23.6 minutes per contest) for the Oklahoma City Blue this season, Whitehead has averaged 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists, with a subpar shooting line of .368/.298/.690.
As for Okani, the 6’8″ forward went undrafted in 2025 following five college seasons, the last of which was spent with West Virginia. The 24-year-old has put up modest stats for the Westchester Knicks this season, averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .399/.292/.533 shooting in 47 total games (21.4 MPG). Okani is viewed as a versatile defender, according to Scotto.
Whitehead will earn $131,970 over his 10 days with Memphis, while Okani will make $73,153. If the agreements are finalized on Friday, both players will technically sign rest-of-season deals and will be free agents at 12:00 am ET on April 13.
Checking In On Playoff Picture, Expired 10-Day Contracts
Although we already know which 20 teams will be taking part in the NBA’s postseason, only seven of those clubs have officially clinched playoff spots, assuring themselves of a top-six finish in their respective conferences. The Pistons, Celtics, and Knicks have booked their tickets in the East, while the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, and Nuggets have done so in the West.
Two more teams could secure top-six playoff spots on Thursday. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Cavaliers will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight in Golden State, while the Rockets will be assured of a playoff appearance if the Suns lose in Charlotte.
Although the Timberwolves can’t clinch their own playoff spot with a win tonight, they hold a 4.5-game lead over Phoenix for the No. 6 spot in the West, where we’re getting pretty close to the playoff and play-in fields being set. Barring a late-season collapse, Minnesota and Houston will almost certainly join Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Lakers, and Denver as top-six seeds, leaving the Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors to battle it out in the play-in tournament. Those last three teams are already locked into the play-in, though seeding remains up for grabs.
The most compelling remaining playoff race figures to be for the final guaranteed playoff spot(s) in the East. The Cavs, who could’ve clinched with a win on Tuesday or a Philadelphia loss on Wednesday, will undoubtedly secure their spot sooner or later, but the fifth and sixth seeds in the conference are far from settled. The No. 5 Hawks (44-33) are separated from the No. 10 Heat (40-37) by just four games, with the Sixers (42-34), Raptors (42-34), Hornets (40-36), and Magic (40-36) also battling to finish in the top six — or at least to take part in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game, which would guarantee them two chances to make the playoffs.
While none of those Eastern teams is locked into the play-in yet, blowout home losses on Wednesday have made it increasingly difficult for Orlando and Miami to claw their way into the top six. Conversely, Atlanta strengthened its hold on the No. 5 seed with an impressive win over the Magic. The Hawks have now won 17 of their last 19 games.
In other housekeeping news, a total of four 10-day contracts expired overnight on Wednesday: Bez Mbeng (Jazz), DeJon Jarreau (Grizzlies), Tyler Burton (Grizzlies), and Markelle Fultz (Raptors).
Reporting has already indicated that the Jazz intend to re-sign Mbeng for the rest of the season, but that’s not an option for the Grizzlies with Jarreau or Burton unless they waive someone from their 15-man roster, since they were on hardship deals and aren’t eligible to sign another 10-day contract with Memphis. The Grizzlies remain eligible to re-add two players in those hardship slots, but barring more significant roster changes, they’ll likely have to bring in a pair of newcomers to replace Jarreau and Burton.
The Raptors, meanwhile, have the ability to re-sign Fultz, since they now have an open 15-man roster spot and the former No. 1 overall pick has only received a single 10-day deal with the team. He did appear in five games during his first 10 days with the club, but played very limited minutes and wasn’t all that effective (four total points on 2-of-11 shooting in 36 minutes).
The expectation is that the Raptors will sign someone else to replace Fultz, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who identifies Raptors 905 sharpshooter Tyreke Key as a potential candidate for a 10-day deal. If Toronto signs Key or someone else to a 10-day contract on Thursday, it would expire next Saturday night, allowing the team to promote one of its two-way players to the standard roster ahead of the postseason next Sunday.
Since there are only 11 days left in the season, time is quickly running out for teams to sign players to standard 10-day contracts. Starting on Friday, a team with an open roster spot would simply be signing a player to a rest-of-season deal. However, hardship “10-day” signings are still permitted through the end of the season. They would expire after the regular season finale, making those players free agents immediately.
Several more 10-day contracts, including Omer Yurtseven‘s with the Warriors, Malachi Smith‘s with the Nets, and Charles Bassey‘s with the Celtics, will end this weekend. Boston will have to either re-sign Bassey or bring in a new 14th man on Saturday after the center’s second 10-day deal expires on Friday night, since the Celtics aren’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for a full day for the rest of the season.
Our 10-day tracker shows the full list of active deals.
Brandon Clarke Arrested On Drug, Fleeing Charges
Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Cross County, Arkansas, on charges of trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing in a vehicle exceeding the speed limit and improper passing, Lucas Finton and Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal write in a subscriber-only story.
The sheriff’s department refused to comment on the arrest, with Chief Deputy Larry Jones emailing a statement to the authors that read, “At this time, there is no additional information that can be released.”
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo also offered little insight during a session with reporters before tonight’s home game against New York, according to Finton and Cole. “I’m aware of the report but don’t have any comments,” Iisalo said.
Clarke was only available for two games this season, as he missed the start of the campaign while recovering from a procedure on his right knee and then quickly suffered a right calf strain. After recent medical imaging, he was declared out for the season last week.
Injuries have derailed a promising career for the 29-year-old Clarke, who finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year race in 2020 and was a reliable big man off the bench for the successful Grizzlies teams earlier this decade. He was limited to six games during the 2023/24 season, and then rebounded for 64 a year ago before hurting his knee.
Clarke is earning $12.5MM this season and has the same amount fully guaranteed for next year before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2027.
How The Grizzlies Are Carrying A 22-Man Roster
During the NBA’s regular season, teams are typically limited to carrying a maximum of 18 players — 15 on standard contracts (full-season or 10-day) and another three on two-way deals.
However, a team dealing with major injury issues can be granted a hardship exception, allowing that club to temporarily exceed the usual 18-man maximum. A team qualifies for a hardship exception when it meets all of the following criteria:
- It has at least four players unavailable due to injury or illness.
- All four of those players have missed at least three consecutive games.
- All four of those players are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.
A team becomes eligible for a single hardship exception when it has four players who meet the criteria, but it can also qualify for an additional hardship exception for each additional injured player beyond those initial four.
For instance, a team with five players who have missed at least three games due to injuries and will remain out for another two weeks would be eligible for two hardship exceptions, allowing that club to complete a pair of 10-day signings beyond its usual 18-man roster limit.
The banged-up Grizzlies have taken this rule to the extreme as of late. The team currently has seven players who meet the hardship criteria. The following seven players have all been ruled out for the season:
- Zach Edey (left ankle/elbow surgery recoveries): Out since Dec. 7
- Brandon Clarke (right calf strain): Out since Dec. 20
- Ja Morant (left elbow UCL sprain): Out since Jan. 21
- Santi Aldama (right knee surgery recovery): Out since Feb. 4
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right fifth finger surgery recovery): Out since Feb. 11
- Scotty Pippen Jr. (right big toe surgery recovery): Out since Mar. 7
- Jaylen Wells (right big toe surgery recovery): Out since Mar. 23
As a result, the team qualifies for four hardship exceptions — one for the first four players above, then an additional one for each of the remaining three.
That means the Grizzlies are currently carrying 22 players. They have 15 players on full-season (or multiyear) deals, three on two-way contracts, and four on 10-day hardship pacts. DeJon Jarreau and Tyler Burton are under contract through Wednesday night, with Adama Bal‘s hardship deal running through next Monday and Lucas Williamson‘s expiring next Thursday night.
As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Jarreau and Burton are on their second 10-day deals with Memphis. Neither players is eligible to sign a third one, and unless the Grizzlies plan to waive one of their full-season players, there’s no room to promote them to the standard 15-man roster. That means there’s a good chance the team will be bringing in two new players on hardship deals as soon as Thursday.
Grizzlies Sign Lucas Williamson To 10-Day Deal
The Grizzlies have agreed to a 10-day contract with guard Lucas Williamson, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The deal is official, the team announced in a press release.
The former Loyola Ramblers wing has spent this season with the Memphis Hustle and Windy City Bulls in the G League. Williamson went undrafted in 2022, joined the Clippers that fall for training camp and was waived. He spent some time that season in Canada with the Edmonton Stingers.
Otherwise, he has spent most of his pro career in the G League with the Hustle. This season, he’s averaged 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 23.7 minutes per game over 46 contests.
Memphis, overwhelmed by injuries, has been filling out its roster with players on 10-day hardship contracts. There’s no indication in the team’s announcement that anyone was cut to accommodate Williamson, which suggests the Grizzlies have been granted a fourth hardship exception.
The Grizzlies brought back Tyler Burton and DeJon Jarreau on second 10-day contracts this month — those contracts will expire on Wednesday night. Adama Bal is also on a 10-day deal with Memphis.
Jaylen Wells (toe) became the fifth Grizzlies player to undergo a season-ending surgery this week, joining Zach Edey (elbow), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), and Santi Aldama (knee). Ja Morant (elbow) and Brandon Clarke (calf) have also been ruled out for the season.
Jaylen Wells Undergoes Toe Surgery, Out For Rest Of Season
March 31: Wells has undergone a successful procedure to stabilize his right big toe and will miss the rest of the 2025/26 season, the Grizzlies confirmed today in a press release (Twitter link).
March 29: Second-year wing Jaylen Wells will undergo surgery to address a tendon avulsion fracture in his right big toe, the Grizzlies announced today (via Twitter). The team didn’t provide a timeline for Wells’ recovery, but he’s expected to miss the rest of the season.
Wells played 69 games this season, all starts, and averaged 12.5 points in 26.4 minutes per night on .431/.353/.784 shooting splits. He contributed 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest, putting up similar numbers across the board to the ones he posted in 2024/25, when he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Wells missed the previous three games for the Grizzlies while dealing with this injury. The club indicated in its announcement that he’s expected to make a full recovery.
Memphis was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday, and Wells now joins an extensive list of Grizzlies who have been ruled out for the rest of the season as the team looks to maximize its draft positioning. Michael Wallace of Grind City Media notes (Twitter link) that he is the fifth Grizzlies player this season to undergo season-ending surgery, joining Zach Edey (elbow), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe), and Santi Aldama (knee).
Southwest Notes: Marshall, Mavs, Middleton, Coward, Eason
Although the Mavericks have been eliminated from postseason contention, the final stretch of the season remains important for several players looking to secure their next contracts. As Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details, forward Naji Marshall falls into that group — he has earned praise recently from head coach Jason Kidd as he looks to put the finishing touches on a career year before he becomes extension-eligible this offseason.
Marshall’s scoring average of 15.5 points per game would be a new career high, as would his field goal percentage of 51.6%. The 28-year-old wing has also contributed 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per night through 71 appearances and has played 2,108 total minutes, second on the roster only to Cooper Flagg (2,132).
As of July 6, Marshall will become eligible for a contract extension that could cover up to four years and could be worth up to 140% of the league’s estimated average salary. That figure won’t be officially set until the start of the new league year, but based on early projections, Marshall would be eligible for a maximum of roughly $92MM on a four-year extension.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- The Mavericks haven’t hired a search firm to assist or guide them in their search for a new permanent head of basketball operations, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). The expectation is that Dallas will name Nico Harrison‘s full-time replacement sometime between the end of the regular season and June’s draft, with current co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi among the candidates. According to Stein, regardless of who ultimately gets the job, there appears to be growing interest throughout the organization in retaining veteran forward Khris Middleton beyond this season.
- It has been a pretty forgettable year in Memphis, where the 25-50 Grizzlies have been decimated by injuries and traded away former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. at February’s deadline. But the development of 2025 lottery pick Cedric Coward has been a silver lining, according to Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who notes that the rookie forward has taken on more of a primary offensive role due to the club’s health issues. “Right now, when you look at our roster, he’s a featured guy and teams may put a lot more emphasis on stopping him,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after Coward scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting in a Saturday win over Chicago. “And I think he’s done a great job letting the game come to him.”
- After struggling mightily for several weeks, Rockets forward Tari Eason scored 16 points on Friday and 15 on Sunday, marking his two highest-scoring performances since the All-Star break. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Eason credited his breakthrough to a Thursday meeting in which his teammates made a point to emphasize his importance to the team’s identity. “It felt like it was pretty centered around me,” Eason said of that meeting. “It wasn’t directly pointing at me negatively. It was more so positive. It was more so affirmations. It was more so everybody kind of trying to lift me up. … Everybody just being there for me and embracing me was important.” Eason will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
Southwest Notes: Bagley, Flagg, Jackson, Durant, Spurs
Marvin Bagley III, the No. 2 pick of the 2018 draft, has bounced around the league in recent seasons. He had one of his best games in years for the Mavericks in a 100-93 win over the Trail Blazers on Friday. Bagley scored 26 points, his biggest single-game output since the 2022/23 season.
“He was being dominant,” P.J. Washington told Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “We were finding him and giving him the ball and just letting him do him. He’s scoring at a high level in the paint. He’s just a mismatch nightmare for them tonight. When he’s in the pick-and-roll, it’s good for us. If we hit him in the pocket, he can make plays, he can pass, he can score.”
Bagley, traded by the Wizards to Dallas last month, will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- In the same game, Cooper Flagg continued his push for the Rookie of the Year award, scoring 24 points. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend that Flagg’s candidacy should be a priority for the organization during the season’s final weeks. “Yeah, I think it’s a big priority that the organization pays attention to this. But it’s not just the organization,” Kidd said. “This is a partnership, and Cooper has to be able to do his part. And he’s doing his part. He’s having a historic year as a rookie. When you put his numbers up against past rookies who have won the award, it’s clear-cut that it’s not even close that he is the one that will win Rookie of the Year.”
- Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II is exasperated that stars like Kevin Durant get calls that other players don’t. “It’s unbelievable how the refs can suck up to somebody,” Jackson said, per Clay Bailey of The Associated Press. “He’s the GOAT, so I respect that, but as far as us other guys, we bust our [tails] like he does.” Durant didn’t have an inordinate amount of free throws in the Rockets‘ 10-point win on Friday. He went to the line seven times while scoring 25 points.
- While the Spurs’ general lack of playoff experience might make it seem unlikely that they’d win the championship this season, there’s growing sentiment around the league that they can overcome that. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst quote several insiders from across the NBA who believe San Antonio will wind up as champions.“Everyone says they don’t have experience, but they have a lot more than anyone gives them credit for,” an Eastern Conference executive told Windhorst. “Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet have championship rings. De’Aaron Fox is one of the league’s best clutch players and he’s been in the playoffs. Do you think Victor (Wembanyama) is going to be intimidated by the moment? Good luck with that.”
Grizzlies Add Adama Bal On 10-Day Deal
11:15am: The 10-day deal is official, according to the team (Twitter link).
10:34am: The Grizzlies have agreed to a 10-day contract with Adama Bal, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto tweets.
Bal went undrafted last year out of Santa Clara. The 6’7″ French forward has spent this season with the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks after being signed and waived by New York in October.
In 29 games, Bal has averaged 7.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per contest. He’s shooting 35.4 percent from the field.
Bal was a two-time All-WCC First Team selection at Santa Clara. In his senior year, he averaged 13.4 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game. He shot 36.9 percent from three-point range in 107 college games, which also included two seasons with Arizona.
Memphis also has two other players on 10-day deals — Tyler Burton and DeJon Jarreau. The Grizzlies have been granted multiple hardship exceptions due to a multitude of injuries, allowing them to carry a handful of extra players beyond the usual maximum of 15.
Memphis has declared six players out for the season, while three others missed Friday’s game against Houston due to various ailments. Those six season-ending injuries – to Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Scotty Pippen Jr., Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke – make the team eligible for three hardship exceptions.
Grizzlies, Pelicans Eliminated From Playoffs; Warriors Locked Into Top-10 Seed
With the Grizzlies‘ 123-98 loss to the Spurs tonight, Memphis has officially been eliminated from playoff contention, while the Warriors have been locked into a top-10 seed. The Pelicans had their playoff possibilities officially extinguished by virtue of their 121-116 loss to the Knicks on Tuesday.
That means that the top 10 teams in the West, and therefore the playoff/play-in pool, have been finalized: the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Rockets, Suns, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors will all be participating in the postseason, though there is still plenty of room for the seeding to change over the last few weeks of the season.
Wednesday night was a big night for the Western Conference playoff race, as the Nuggets, Rockets, Warriors, Clippers, Blazers, and Lakers were all in action. Coming into the night, three games separated the No. 6 Rockets from the No. 3 Lakers, and the No. 10 Warriors were just two games behind the No. 8 Clippers.
While no team is likely to catch the Spurs in second place, San Antonio is just two games behind the top-seeded Thunder, who had their 12-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson spoke about the team clinching home court advantage in the first round tonight. “I would expect it to be loud with a lot of excitement, enthusiasm,” he said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). “But it’s still a little bit away, so hopefully we can continue to get better and make some improvements in a lot of areas.”
On the other end of the postseason picture, the Warriors technically haven’t been eliminated from contention for a top-six seed, but they trail No. 6 Houston by 8.5 games and both teams have just nine left to play, so that will likely happen at some point in the coming days.