Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane Out At Least Six Weeks

January 14th, 2024 at 9:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies’ lengthy injury list added two more names on Sunday, the team announced (via Twitter).

Guard Desmond Bane suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain during the third quarter against the Clippers on Friday. He will be reevaluated in six weeks.

Forward Jake LaRavia has a Grade 2 high left ankle sprain, which he suffered during the first quarter against the Knicks on Saturday. He will be reevaluated in three weeks.

Ja Morant and Steven Adams have already suffered season-ending injuries. The team announced on Thursday that Marcus Smart will be out at least six weeks due to a finger injury, and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) and Derrick Rose (hamstring) are also currently sidelined.

Bane is enjoying a career year, averaging 24.4 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He officially leads the teams in scoring and assists, as Morant only appeared in nine games before a shoulder injury ended his season.

LaRavia has appeared in 11 games this season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds.

As was the case earlier this season, Memphis will soon become eligible for multiple hardship exceptions. The Grizzlies carried as many as 17 players on their standard roster in the fall when they was beset by injuries, adding Jaylen Nowell and Shaquille Harrison to 10-day contracts.

Draymond Green Set To Return For Warriors On Monday

January 14th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors forward Draymond Green will return to action in a Monday clash with the Grizzlies, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

This will mark the four-time All-Star’s first appearance in the last 16 contests, as he was suspended indefinitely last month after violently striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face last month, unprovoked. He was instantly ejected upon being assessed a flagrant 2 foul for the offense.

Golden State has gone 8-8 since Green began serving his suspension.

Across his 15 available contests with the club, Green has averaged 9.7 PPG on a respectable .490/.429/.833 shooting line, along with 5.8 APG, 5.5 RPG, and 0.7 BPG.

This latest altercation with Nurkic marked just the most recent in a series of bizarre on-court transgressions from Green in the last two seasons. The four-time champ received no regular season penalty for punching then-teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a training camp practice in the fall of 2022. He was suspended, however, after stomping on Kings center Domantas Sabonis‘ chest during a first-round playoff game last season, and again last month after choking Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.

Green, 33, underwent counseling during his time away. The 2016/17 Defensive Player of the Year also revealed recently that he had contemplated retirement, but was talked out of it by league commissioner Adam Silver.

Because his ban lasted less than 20 games, Green lost $153,931 per contest during the suspension.

Bane, Jackson Added To Injury List; Details On Vince Williams' New Contract

January 13th, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are the latest additions to the Grizzlies‘ long injury list. Bane, who has a sprained left ankle, is one of seven players who have been declared out for tonight’s game against New York, while Jackson is listed as doubtful with a right knee contusion.
Vince Williams‘ new contract with the Grizzlies is valued at $9.1MM over four years, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link), with the first three seasons guaranteed at $6.6MM. The fourth year is a team option.

Grizzlies Apply For Second DPE; Spurs Granted One

January 12th, 2024 at 7:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have formally applied for a disabled player exception following Ja Morant‘s shoulder injury, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The move had been anticipated since Memphis announced earlier this week that Morant would miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a torn labrum. The Grizzlies faced a deadline of January 15 to submit their request to the league.

A disabled player exception gives an over-the-cap team some extra spending power – but not an additional 15-man roster spot – when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15. As we explain in our glossary entry, the exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade.

The disabled player exception can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract. The exception is worth either half the injured player’s salary or the value of the mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Since Morant is earning $34MM+ this season, the Grizzlies’ DPE would be worth $12,405,000, the amount of the non-taxpayer MLE.

Memphis has already been granted one disabled player exception this season — the team was awarded a $6.3MM DPE following Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee surgery. While the Grizzlies may not end up using both exceptions (assuming their request for Morant is approved), their team salary is well below the luxury tax line, so they have some financial flexibility to explore possible uses for those DPEs on the trade market.

In other disabled player exception news, the Spurs’ request for a DPE following Charles Bassey‘s season-ending ACL tear has been approved, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter). Bassey was only earning $2.6MM this season, so that exception will be worth a modest $1.3MM, limiting its usefulness.

The deadline to use as disabled player exception this season is March 11. Any DPE that hasn’t been used by that point will expire. The full list of available disabled player exceptions can be found right here.

Marcus Smart Out At Least Six Weeks With Finger Injury

January 11th, 2024 at 11:22am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Marcus Smart has suffered a “severe” injury to his right ring finger and is out at least six weeks for the Grizzlies, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Memphis confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link), saying that Smart sustained a “rupture of the proximal interphalangeal joint central slip” in Tuesday’s game vs. Dallas. He’ll be reevaluated in six weeks, per the team.

The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year has only made 20 appearances in ’23/24, which is his first season with the Grizzlies after being acquired in an offseason trade. He missed 17 games with a left foot sprain.

Statistically, Smart is all over the map this season. He’s averaging career highs in points (14.5) and steals per game (2.1), but rebounding at a career-worst rate (2.7), averaging his fewest assists in eight seasons (4.3), and turning the ball over more than ever before (3.1) in a higher-usage role with Ja Morant missing most of the season due to suspension.

Morant will miss the remainder of ’23/24 after undergoing shoulder surgery, and now Smart will be sidelined through at least mid-February. Obviously, Smart’s injury is yet another unfortunate turn of events for a team that has been decimated by injuries to key players.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the Grizzlies can apply for a hardship exception with Morant, Smart, Steven Adams (knee surgery) and Brandon Clarke (Achilles recovery) out with long-term injuries. The exception would be granted after Monday’s game and would create an extra roster spot; it’s worth noting that Memphis signed former Minnesota guard Jaylen Nowell to a pair of 10-day hardship deals earlier this season (Shaquille Harrison also received one 10-day contract).

Recently-promoted wing Vince Williams is a candidate to take on more defensive assignments with Smart injured, while other young players like David Roddy, Ziaire Williams and Jacob Gilyard could receive more minutes.

Ja Morant Has Surgery On Shoulder

January 11th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant had successful surgery on his right shoulder this morning, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter). Morant will miss the rest of the season.

Grizzlies Give Vince Williams Standard Contract, Waive Bismack Biyombo

January 10th, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:54pm: The moves involving Williams and Biyombo are now official, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter).

5:18pm: The Grizzlies will convert Vince Williams‘ two-way contract to a standard deal, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The new contract will be fully guaranteed at $7.9MM over three years and carries a team option for a fourth season, adds Wojnarowski, who states that it’s believed to be the richest ever for a player coming off a two-way deal.

To open a spot for Williams on the 15-man roster, Memphis will waive veteran center Bismack Biyombo, according to Woj, who notes that Biyombo has been impressive in his time with the Grizzlies and could return to the team later in the season if he clears waivers. Wojnarowski hears that Memphis will look for another big man to fill its open two-way slot.

Williams has emerged as an outstanding perimeter defender in his second year with Memphis after being taken with the 47th pick in the 2022 draft. The 23-year-old swingman has appeared in 27 games this season, making eight starts, and is averaging 5.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per night.

Memphis will use part of the $7.4MM remaining on its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to cover Williams’ salary for the rest of the season, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The team already spent $5MM of its MLE to sign Biyombo in November.

Biyombo’s contract was only partially guaranteed and the Grizzlies could have saved money by waiving him before Sunday’s deadline, but Marks notes that they’re far enough below the luxury tax that it won’t affect their financial flexibility this season.

Memphis added the 31-year-old Biyombo after losing Steven Adams with a season-ending knee injury. Biyombo quickly took over as the starting center and averaged 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 30 games. The Grizzlies will be responsible for the rest of his contract unless another team claims him on waivers.

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Jackson, Smart, Kennard

January 10th, 2024 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

After being diagnosed with a torn labrum that will require season-ending surgery, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant told his teammates in an “emotional” meeting on Tuesday to “stay locked in and keep grinding,” Desmond Bane tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

The Grizzlies, who were also missing reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. due to a right knee contusion, responded on Tuesday with an impressive 120-103 victory in Dallas, their third straight road win over a Western Conference rival. Head coach Taylor Jenkins called it “one of the most impressive team wins of the season,” per MacMahon.

“We have nothing to lose,” guard Marcus Smart said. “Especially without Ja, everybody’s counting us out. Everybody’s expecting us to just lay down and quit, and that’s not what this team is about and not in our heart.

“… We’re going to fight. That’s all we can do. That’s what we know. We’re going to fight until we can’t fight no more. And that’s all you can ask — for you fight to the end, because we understood that coming into the season the odds against us and things have affected our team. We understood that this might not be a year where everything is expected of us, but it’s a year for us to damn well get right for next year as well.”

As his Grizzlies teammates look to continue battling for a play-in spot without him, Morant is in the process of deciding – along with the Grizzlies’ staff – which surgeon will perform his shoulder surgery, according to MacMahon.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Smart exited Tuesday’s win in the third quarter due to a dislocated right ring finger. The finger isn’t broken, but Smart will undergo an MRI when the team returns to Memphis, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.
Speaking to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, orthopedic surgeon Brian Schulz explains how a labral tear occurs and what Morant’s recovery process will look like. According to Schulz, while Morant will be able to begin physical therapy almost immediately following his surgery, a typical return-to-play timeline for this sort of injury is approximately six months, which is why the club has already ruled him out for the season.
ESPN’s experts take a look at how Morant’s injury will impact the team, with Kevin Pelton pointing out that drafting in the 2024 lottery could put Memphis in position to add another young player to its long-term core at a relatively team-friendly price. Bobby Marks, meanwhile, notes that next year’s roster projects to be in the tax if Luke Kennard‘s team option is exercised, which could impact the Grizzlies’ trade deadline plans with Kennard and/or others on the roster.
Mark Deeks of HoopsHype explores what the Grizzlies could do with the disabled player exception they’re likely to be granted as a result of Morant’s injury, and explains why that exception is more likely to simply expire without being used.

What's Next For Grizzlies With Morant Out For Season?

January 9th, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Don’t expect the Grizzlies to immediately throw in the towel following news of Ja Morant‘s season-ending shoulder surgery, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While the postseason is a long shot for the 13-23 squad, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are playing as well as they ever have, and Marcus Smart has never been on a team that missed the playoffs, Cole observes.

Still, with Morant and Adams out for the season, the front office can probably start looking ahead to next season and considering what the 2024/25 roster will look like. With that in mind, the coaching staff will have an opportunity in the coming months to evaluate players like Jake LaRavia, G.G. Jackson, and Vince Williams to get a better sense of what the Grizzlies have in those youngsters, says Cole.

Pointing out that Memphis still needs a starting-caliber forward to fill the hole created by Dillon Brooks‘ offseason departure, John Hollinger of The Athletic wonders if the team might actually be more inclined to make an in-season consolidation trade following Morant’s injury. As Hollinger explains, the Grizzlies could “start tackling next year’s problems without worrying so much about the impacts on this season.”

Ja Morant To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

January 8th, 2024 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team’s PR department announced (Twitter link).

It’s a stunning turn of events for Memphis’ franchise and Morant, who returned last month from his 25-game, league-imposed suspension.

Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder during Saturday’s training session. After he experienced continued soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed the underlying labral tear, per the Grizzlies. He’s expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Morant averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in nine games since he served out the suspension, including a game-winning shot against New Orleans on Dec. 19 in his return to action.

The Grizzlies won just six games during his suspension. They were 6-3 in games that he played.

Morant sat out Sunday’s win over Phoenix with what the team described at the time as shoulder soreness.

The loss of Morant would seemingly end any realistic hope of the Grizzlies getting into the postseason picture and could also alter the front office’s approach to the trade deadline.

Morant is the first year of a five-year, rookie scale max extension.

The Grizzlies have until January 15 to file for a disabled player exception, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The exception would be worth approximately $12.4MM, the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Memphis already has a $6.3MM DPE as a result of Steven Adams‘ season-ending injury.