Grizzlies’ Morant, Clarke, Edey Ruled Out For Rest Of Season
The Grizzlies released medical updates for Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, and Zach Edey today (via Twitter), announcing that all three players have officially been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.
Morant has been dealing with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow and hasn’t played since January 21. In early March, the team announced he would be reevaluated in two weeks. According to today’s update, it was recommended that the point guard receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid the healing process. He is expected to make a full recovery before next season.
Clarke, who missed the start of the season while recovering from a procedure on his right knee, has only played two games in 2025/26 and is currently working his way back from a right calf strain. Following recent imaging, the Grizzlies determined that he requires more time before he can resume “high-intensity court work.”
Edey hasn’t played since the first week of December and there was already an expectation that he’d miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. While he continues to recovery from that surgery, he also underwent a procedure to alleviate lingering discomfort in his left elbow, the Grizzlies announced.
Like Morant, Clarke and Edey are both expected to make full recoveries for the 2026/27 season, per the team.
Morant, a trade candidate at last month’s deadline who will likely be back on the block this offseason, will have two years and $87MM left on his maximum-salary contract. Clarke will be on an expiring $12.5MM contract in ’26/27, while Edey is entering the third year of his rookie scale deal and will earn $6.33MM.
Grizzlies Sign Tyler Burton, DeJon Jarreau To Second 10-Day Deals
The Grizzlies have brought back Tyler Burton and DeJon Jarreau on second 10-day contracts, the team announced (via Twitter).
Burton, a 26-year-old small forward, signed a hardship deal with Memphis on March 12. He has appeared in six games, all off the bench, and is averaging 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per night with .306/.313/.867 shooting numbers.
This is Burton’s first NBA opportunity since going undrafted out of Villanova in 2024. He was in training camp with the Grizzlies on an Exhibit 10 contract and has spent most of the season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.
Jarreau, a 28-year-old shooting guard, signed his contract on March 13. In five appearances as a reserve, he’s averaging 6.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 21.4 minutes per night with .419/.111/.714 shooting splits.
Jarreau has some previous NBA experience, playing nine games with Memphis during the 2023/24 season and one game with Indiana in 2021/22.
The hardship exception allows a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man standard roster limit when it has at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to miss at least two more weeks due to an injury or illness. With 10 players listed on the injury report for tonight’s game at Atlanta, Memphis easily meets that threshold.
Both players will be eligible for six more games before their contracts expire on April 1. At that point, they would have to be signed for the rest of the season if the Grizzlies want to keep them on the roster.
Burton will earn $73,153 over the next 10 days, while Jarreau will make $131,970.
Bucks’ Nance Among Two-Way Players Nearing Game Limit
Bucks forward Pete Nance had one of his best games of the season in Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, and blocking two shots. Although Milwaukee lost the game by a score of 123-116, Nance was a +7 during his 30 minutes of action.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac observes (via Twitter), it was the 29th consecutive game – and the 47th overall – in which Nance was active. That’s important because the 26-year-old is on a two-way contract, which comes with a limit of 50 active games.
The Bucks still have 14 games left on their regular season schedule, but if they want Nance to be active for more than three of those contests, they’d have to promote him to their standard 15-man roster, which is currently full.
Most promotions from a two-way contract to a standard deal in a given league year occur between the trade deadline and March 4. That way, teams don’t prematurely fill a roster spot they might need for a deadline deal and have the ability to back-fill a newly opened two-way slot on or before March 4, the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts. Promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster after that deadline means that a club would have to leave one of its two-way slots open for the rest of the season.
Promotions can still happen between March 5 and the end of the regular season, but it’s a less pressing priority for teams who don’t have 15-man roster spots available and/or won’t need their two-way standouts for the postseason. The Bucks, whose playoff chances are on life support, probably fall into both of those categories, so it will be interesting to see whether they feel compelled to make a move with Nance as he nears his 50-game limit.
Here are the other players are on two-way contracts around the NBA who have fewer than 10 games of eligibility remaining (their remaining games are noted in parentheses):
- Moussa Cisse, Mavericks (4)
JD Davison, Rockets (4)
Tyrese Martin, Sixers (4) - Caleb Love, Trail Blazers (5)
David Roddy, Nuggets (5) - Tristan Enaruna, Cavaliers (6)
Blake Hinson, Jazz (6)
Rayan Rupert, Grizzlies (6)
Payton Sandfort, Thunder (6)
Dalen Terry, Sixers (6) - Norchad Omier, Clippers (7)
Nate Williams, Warriors (7) - Patrick Baldwin Jr., Kings (8)
Jamal Cain, Magic (8)
Julian Reese, Wizards (8) - Trevor Keels, Heat (9)
KJ Simpson, Nuggets (9)
Jalen Slawson, Pacers (9)
Ethan Thompson, Pacers (9)
Chris Youngblood, Trail Blazers (9)
Some of these players were just signed a couple weeks ago and didn’t have that many games of two-way eligibility to begin with, so the fact that they’re nearing their limit isn’t a big deal for their respective teams.
Sandfort, for instance, joined the Thunder on March 2, giving him 12 total games of regular season eligibility. He has been active for six, but has a DNP-CD in all of them. It’s safe to assume Oklahoma City won’t be looking to find a way to promote him to its standard roster.
Others on this list were regular contributors earlier in the season but have been deactivated since they got close to their respective limits. Cisse, for example, was at 42 active games at the trade deadline, but has been in the Mavericks’ lineup for just four of 18 contests since then. Davison and Love are among the others who have found themselves exiled to the inactive list on a permanent basis in recent weeks. Their teams have gotten by without them lately and don’t appear to be prioritizing promotions.
That doesn’t mean none of these players will be converted to standard contracts by April 12 though. The Jazz, Warriors, and Magic are among the teams that have open roster spots, so Hinson, Williams, and Cain, each of whom has been seeing a decent amount of playing time recently, should be considered candidates to fill those openings.
Santi Aldama Undergoes Knee Procedure, Out For Remainder Of Season
The Grizzlies have ruled out big man Santi Aldama for the remainder of the season, the team announced (Twitter link).
Aldama underwent an arthroscopic procedure and received an orthobiologic injection on Tuesday to address discomfort in the trochlear compartment of his right knee. He is expected to make a full recovery prior to the start of next season.
The team revealed on Sunday that Aldama would undergo the procedure.
Aldama hasn’t played since February 4 due to ongoing knee pain. He averaged a career-high 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game in 43 appearances for Memphis this season after signing a three-year, $52.5MM contract in restricted free agency last summer. He shot 47.9% from the floor and 35.0% from beyond the three-point line, both above his career rates.
Earlier on Tuesday, the team announced that Scotty Pippen Jr. underwent toe surgery and would sit out the rest of the season.
The Grizzlies’ training room has been busy all season. Ty Jerome, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Ja Morant have all missing significant chunks of action. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was ruled out for the remainder of ’25/26 last month after undergoing finger surgery.
Grizzlies’ Pippen Undergoes Toe Surgery, Won’t Return This Season
March 17: The Grizzlies confirmed today that Pippen underwent his sesamoidectomy on Tuesday and that he’ll miss the rest of the season (Twitter link). He’s expected to make a full recovery for the start of 2026/27, per the team.
March 13: Pippen is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
March 12: Fourth-year guard Scotty Pippen Jr. is undergoing a sesamoidectomy to address pain in his right big toe, the Grizzlies announced in a press release (Twitter link).
A return timeline for Pippen will be established after the procedure, per the team, but the 25-year-old is expected to make a full recovery.
If you’re experiencing a bit of déjà vu, you’re not alone. Pippen underwent a sesamoidectomy back in October to deal with discomfort in his big toe, but that was on his left foot, not his right.
Pippen wound up missing 15-plus weeks of action following his initial toe surgery, having made his season debut on February 6. Given how long he was out after the first procedure, it’s probably safe to say he’ll miss the rest of the season following this one.
In 10 appearances (21.2 minutes per game) for Memphis in 2025/26, Pippen averaged 11.4 points, 4.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals on .448/.313/.783 shooting splits. He was a key reserve for the Grizzlies last season, appearing in a career-high 79 games while averaging 9.9 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.3 RPG and 1.3 SPG in 21.3 MPG. He posted a shooting slash line of .480/.397/.713.
The Grizzlies have been ravaged by injuries again in ’25/26, with Pippen, Ty Jerome, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Ja Morant all missing the majority of the season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was also ruled out for the remainder of ’25/26 last month after undergoing finger surgery.
Memphis was granted a hardship exception on Thursday and used it to sign Tyler Burton to a 10-day deal. The 26-year-old wing has spent this season in the G League with the Grizzlies’ affiliate club, the Memphis Hustle.
Western Notes: Watson, Grizzlies, Ishbia, K. Johnson
After missing starters and rotation players for nearly the entire season due to health issues, the Nuggets are inching closer to finally submitting a clean injury report. The team appears hopeful that wing Peyton Watson will be able to return this week from the right hamstring strain that has kept him on the shelf since February 4, tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
With the exception of the players who are currently assigned to the club’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, Watson is the only player left on Denver’s injury report.
Watson has been ruled out for Tuesday’s matchup with Philadelphia, and Benedetto suggests he wouldn’t count on the 23-year-old being activated for Wednesday’s game in Memphis. However, it sounds like Friday’s contest vs. Toronto could be a viable return date for Watson, who will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- FedEx executive Richard Smith tells Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal that he hired an advisory firm to assess whether Grizzlies owner Robert Pera is looking to sell or relocate the franchise and was told no on both counts. “I don’t think there’s any truth to rumors that he wants to move the team,” said Smith, who added that he and his family would’ve been interested in making a bid for the Grizzlies to keep them in Memphis if Pera were looking to sell. The Grizzlies and the city of Memphis are currently engaged in negotiations about the team’s lease at FedExForum — the current agreement runs through 2028/29.
- The binding mediation process to resolve the legal dispute between Mat Ishbia and a pair of Suns shareholders could result in Ishbia buying out those minority owners and increasing his stake in the team to 96%, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Those owners, Scott Seldin and Andy Kohlberg, are the last remaining holdovers from the Robert Sarver era in Phoenix and currently control about 13% of the franchise, Holmes explains.
- Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was a full-time starter for three seasons from 2020-23, but he transitioned to a sixth man role in 2023/24 and has since embraced the idea of coming off the bench, as Tom Orsborn details for The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). While Johnson wasn’t initially thrilled by losing his starting job, he and the Spurs are thriving this season as he makes a case for Sixth Man of the Year honors by averaging 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with a .529/.377/.789 shooting line. “I feel like when you want to win, you got to remove your ego, especially when we got the team we have,” Johnson said. “We all want to see each other be successful. I had to pull my ego away and say, ‘This is what’s best for the team.’ And if I can maximize my role coming off the bench, as talented as I am and with the things I can bring to the game, I feel like we’ll be in great shape throughout games.”
NBA To Vote On Exploring Expansion Teams In Las Vegas, Seattle
The NBA will vote later this month on whether to explore adding expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The vote will take place at the Board of Governors meeting from March 24-25, and if approved, the two new franchises are expected to begin playing during the 2028/29 season. Charania cites “momentum” for the league’s stakeholders to approve examining expansion, with bids expected to fall in the $7-10 billion range for each new team.
The upcoming vote is the first step in the expansion process, Charania adds, with a final vote to officially add the new teams potentially taking place later this year. Both rounds will require approval from at least 23 of the 30 governors.
In an appearance this morning on ESPN’s Get Up (Twitter video link), Charania states that there’s a “growing majority of owners” who are in favor of expanding.
Seattle has been viewed as a possible expansion market ever since the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. Seattle was part of the NBA for more than four decades and has a large group of loyal fans who still identify with the team.
The city already has a facility in place in Climate Pledge Arena, which was formerly known as Key Arena and serves as home to the NHL’s Kraken. It recently underwent a $1.15 billion renovation and can hold 18,300 fans for basketball.
Las Vegas has never had an NBA team, but it has formed a strong partnership with the league by hosting Summer League games every July, as well as the semifinals and finals of the NBA Cup. T-Mobile Arena is the home of the NHL’s Golden Knights and hosts basketball games as well with a capacity of 18,000 people.
Adding two new teams in the Pacific time zone will likely force a realignment to balance out the conferences. The Timberwolves or Grizzlies are viewed as the most likely candidate to move from the West to the East, Charania writes in a full story.
Expansion has been an on-and-off issue for the NBA over the past few years, with commissioner Adam Silver sometimes making encouraging remarks but also stating that other priorities had to be addressed first. He brought up the topic at his All-Star Weekend press conference, indicating that the league didn’t have a set number of teams in mind and that would be decided after exploring the marketplace.
There was speculation that the NBA’s focus on developing a new professional league in Europe might delay the expansion process, but it now appears to be on the front burner as the Board of Governors prepares to gather. The NBA continues to move forward on the European project, and final bids for prospective teams are due by the end of March, sources tell Charania.
Santi Aldama Undergoing Arthroscopic Procedure On Knee, Out Indefinitely
Santi Aldama is undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, the Grizzlies announced today (Twitter link). As part of the procedure, he’ll receive an orthobiologic injection meant to reduce discomfort in the trochlear compartment of his knee, according to the team.
Aldama hasn’t played since February 4 due to ongoing knee pain. The veteran power forward has averaged a career-high 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game in 43 appearances for Memphis this season after signing a three-year, $52.5MM contract in restricted free agency last summer. He has shot 47.9% from the floor and 35.0% from beyond the three-point line, both above his career rates.
According to the Grizzlies’ press release, Aldama is expected to make a full recovery. A more specific timeline will be provided after he undergoes the procedure.
Aldama joins a long list of injured Grizzlies, as Ja Morant, Scotty Pippen Jr., Walter Clayton, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are all listed as out for Monday’s game.
Southwest Notes: VanVleet, Murray, Flagg, Jerome
Rockets guard Fred VanVleet is still holding out hope he can return this season after tearing his right ACL in September RealGM relays. VanVleet made those comments on a recent episode of the Unguarded podcast (YouTube link).
“I’m about five, five and a half months, almost six months now,” VanVleet said. “So, I’m getting there. I’m getting stronger. I’m getting better. I’m moving around a lot better. I’m getting some good on-court workouts.
“I think a lot of the predictions of where I was going to be were made pre-surgery, so we’ve had to adjust that timeline as things go on. But again, selfishly, I’m always going to keep my window open. I’m not going to come on here and tell you, ‘Oh, I’m not coming back,’ and then I come back like, ‘Oh, surprise.’ But I’m not ruling it out, and I’m not saying I’m coming back. I’m just rehabbing, I’m working on myself, and I keep that goal in mind because I’ve made such good progress.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Dejounte Murray continued his strong comeback from his Achilles tear. The Pelicans guard racked up 35 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Houston on Friday in his eighth game of the season. “On both sides of the ball, he was fantastic down the stretch,” Pelicans’ interim head coach James Borrego said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
- Cooper Flagg had 25 points for the Mavericks against Cleveland on Friday and feels he’s finally recovered from the midfoot sprain that sidelined him for eight games. “I really feel I hadn’t come back with my pop, like my athleticism has kind of been lacking since I got hurt and came back,” Flagg told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “I finally felt like I was getting my pop back a little tonight.”
- Ty Jerome, who joined the Grizzlies during the offseason on a three-year, $27.66MM contract, had 21 points against Detroit on Friday. He’s averaging 20.1 points and 5.4 assists in his first 12 games for Memphis after missing most of the season due to a calf strain. “I mean Ty’s been very solid for us the whole time,” coach Tuomas Iilaso said. “He’s turning into one of the premier creators in the whole league. [He’s] able to create shots for himself and for others, and he gets the toughest assignments every night. Today, [the] Pistons we’re able to put a lot of length, a lot of physicality on him, and they also stepped up on the pick-and-rolls, to try to get the ball out of his hands. But, somehow, he always finds a way.”
DeJon Jarreau Inks 10-Day Contract With Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have signed DeJon Jarreau to a 10-day contract, the team announced (via Twitter).
The 28-year-old shooting guard also played for Memphis in March of 2024 on a pair of 10-day contracts. He got into nine games and averaged 4.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 16.7 minutes per night. In addition, Jarreau appeared in one game with Indiana on a two-way contract during the 2021/22 season.
Jarreau signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Memphis in October and was waived the same day. He wound up with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 19 games, making seven starts. He’s a G League veteran, appearing in 63 total regular season games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Texas Legends and Capital City Go-Go as well as Memphis.
Jarreau went undrafted in 2021 after four seasons in college and was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for 2020/21 at Houston.
It’s not specified in the announcement, but this appears to be another hardship deal for the Grizzlies, who signed Tyler Burton to a 10-day contract on Thursday using a hardship exception. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (finger) and Zach Edey (ankle) both underwent season-ending surgeries, and nine other players are listed on the injury report for tonight’s game at Detroit.
A hardship exception allows a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man standard roster limit. The exception is granted when a club has at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to miss at least two more weeks due to an injury or illness. A team that has five players who fit that bill is eligible for two hardship exceptions.