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World Cup Notes: Brooks, Motiejunas, F. Wagner, Naturalized Players

September 4th, 2023 at 10:41am CST by Arthur Hill

After a difficult season with the Grizzlies, Dillon Brooks feels rejuvenated by his World Cup experience, writes Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops. Brooks has moved past the acrimonious ending of his time in Memphis and is enjoying a summer that has included an $86MM contract with the Rockets and a chance to lead Canada to new heights in international competition.

Brooks had 22 points and five rebounds while playing his usual disruptive defense in Sunday’s win over Spain, moving Canada into the quarterfinal round and wrapping up a spot in the Olympics. The Canadians trailed by 12 points entering the fourth quarter, but Brooks hit three three-pointers during a rally in the must-win game.

“Coming off a tough year with my old squad, it was great having a refresh with Canadian blood,” Brooks said. “Guys who believe in me. Guys who trust in me.”

Reaching the Olympics is a life-long dream for Canadian teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, competed for Antigua and Barbuda in the 400 meters during the 1992 games, Stroggylakis adds.

“In my whole life I knew what’s like going to the Olympics because of that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And I know the best athletes are there.”

There’s more from the World Cup:

Former NBA big man Donatas Motiejunas tells Aris Barkis of Eurohoops that beating Team USA on Sunday compares to Lithuania’s last victory over the Americans in the 2004 Olympics. “I was a kid at that time, I was 14 years old so I remember watching the game and it was something spectacular,” he said. “Like I said from the first day we are here to bring joy to our people, to our basketball and I know how crazy it’s right now in Lithuania. And I really loved that we, as a team, can bring this joy to our people.”
Germany reached the quarterfinals without Magic forward Franz Wagner, who suffered a sprained ankle in the opening game, and it appears his status for Wednesday’s contest against Latvia won’t be decided until shortly before game time, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Wagner is considered day to day, but he hasn’t been active since the injury. “He had no team practice yet. We’re gonna have to see what his situation is tomorrow, and the medical staff will make a decision on Wednesday,” Germany head coach Gordon Herbert told reporters. “We go day by day; we have to see how his ankle feels in the morning, see if he’s able tomorrow or not, and we go from there. It’s a process. He wants to play, but he’s pretty frustrated and disappointed he can’t play.”
Along with Mavericks star Luka Doncic, one of Slovenia’s most important players has been center Mike Tobey, who obtained a passport in advance of the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament, Milanti adds in another piece. Tobey believes naturalized players will have an increased impact in international basketball. “I understand both sides of the rule,” he said. “For me, I think it helps make teams competitive. I’m sure in the future the national teams will do it more because sometimes teams are really just a piece away. Slovenia shows it’s just adding one person in the position they don’t have as many big guys in this generation. I think it can make a big difference, and help small countries compete.”

Teams With Full 21-Man Offseason Rosters

September 1st, 2023 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The offseason roster limit for NBA teams has historically been 20 players, but the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement raised that limit to 21 to account for the fact that each team’s total two-way contract slots have increased from two to three.

By the time training camps open at the start of October, we can expect most – if not all – of the NBA’s 30 teams to be carrying full 21-man rosters. There’s little downside to filling up the roster, as doing so gives teams more bodies in camp and more roster flexibility during the preseason.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

For now though, only eight teams have maxed out their rosters. The other 22 clubs are carrying fewer than 21 players and will likely have more moves to make in the next month or so.

Here are the eight teams that currently have full 21-man offseason rosters:

Denver Nuggets

15 guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

It’s still possible the Nuggets could make a change or two to their projected regular season squad, but right now their roster decisions appear pretty straightforward. Once the defending champions cut their three Exhibit 10 players, their roster will be set for opening night.

Memphis Grizzlies

17 guaranteed, one TBD, three two-ways

We still don’t know the details on Shaquille Harrison‘s new deal with the Grizzlies — I expect it’ll be non-guaranteed, but even if that’s the case, Memphis would have to trade or release two players on guaranteed deals in order to set their roster for the start of the regular season. Isaiah Todd and Josh Christopher are among those whose spots appear to be most in danger.

Miami Heat

12 guaranteed, one partially guaranteed, five Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

With the Damian Lillard sweepstakes unresolved, the Heat’s roster is still very much subject to major changes. But if no Lillard trade materializes, perhaps Miami will consider promoting one or two of their two-way players (including Jamal Cain) to the standard roster, allowing their Exhibit 10 players to compete for a two-way deal.

Milwaukee Bucks

15 guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported today (via Twitter) that newly signed forward Alex Antetokounmpo has already been waived. But that transaction hasn’t shown up in NBA.com’s log yet, and he’s still listed on the Bucks’ official roster, so we’re assuming the team is still carrying 21 players for now.

Of course, Antetokounmpo and his fellow Exhibit 10 signees will likely be cut sooner or later, but maybe there will be an opportunity for one of them to earn a conversion to a two-way deal with a strong preseason. Players like Lindell Wigginton, whose two-way deals carried over from 2022/23 to ’23/24, typically have less job security than those who have signed new contracts since July.

New York Knicks

12 guaranteed, three non-guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

The Knicks may opt to shake things up a little before opening night. One of their 12 players on guaranteed contracts – Evan Fournier – is an obvious trade candidate, and none of their three players on non-guaranteed deals (Isaiah Roby, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington) are locks to make the 15-man roster.

Oklahoma City Thunder

15 guaranteed, one partially guaranteed, two non-guaranteed, three two-ways

Setting the Thunder’s roster won’t be as simple as cutting the players without full guarantees. Two of those guys – Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe – were solid rotation players last season and another – Jack White – was newly signed in July. We took a closer look last week at where the Thunder’s roster crunch stands and which players might end up on the outside looking in.

Toronto Raptors

15 guaranteed, one non-guaranteed, two Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

Pascal Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, but if the Raptors don’t make a deal before the season starts, the only drama may be whether Jeff Dowtin (on a non-guaranteed deal) can play well enough to crack the 15-man opening night roster.

Dowtin would earn a $900K partial guarantee if he makes it to opening night. In that scenario, Malachi Flynn, Garrett Temple, or Otto Porter might be the odd man out.

Utah Jazz

12 guaranteed, two partially guaranteed, one non-guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

If Romeo Langford had received a small partial guarantee or signed a standard non-guaranteed contract, I’d view him as a threat to earn a 15-man roster spot. However, the Exhibit 10 clause reported to be included in his deal suggests the Jazz aren’t counting on that and will be happy to stick with their 15 players on standard contracts, including the three guys without full guarantees (Kris Dunn, Omer Yurtseven, and Luka Samanic).

Checking In On Unsigned 2023 Draft Picks

September 1st, 2023 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

When he signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies on Thursday, No. 45 pick overall pick GG Jackson became the 54th player selected in the 2023 draft to sign with his NBA team. Two of the 60 picks in this year’s draft were forfeited, which means there are just four players who have yet to sign NBA contracts.

As our tracker shows, those players are as follows:

Charlotte Hornets: James Nnaji, C
Washington Wizards: Tristan Vukcevic, F
Indiana Pacers: Mojave King, G
Memphis Grizzlies: Tarik Biberovic, G/F

It seems safe to assume we won’t see King and Biberovic in the NBA this season. Reports during or shortly after the draft indicated that they’ll be draft-and-stash prospects who will continue to hone their skills in international leagues while the Pacers and Grizzlies, respectively, control their NBA rights.

It’s possible that Nnaji and Vukcevic will take a similar path, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Speaking in July to Tony Canyameras of Mundo Deportivo (translation via Eurohoops), Nnaji said his expectation at that point was that he’d spend another season in Europe with FC Barcelona, but his future remained up in the air.

“We have to see how everything goes. The circumstances depend on what happens in the Summer League. But for now, I would say yes,” Nnaji said of returning to Barcelona.

The Hornets currently only have 13 players on guaranteed salaries for 2023/24, so they’d have room on their roster to add Nnaji if they want to.

But Frank Ntilikina, who has a $200K partial guarantee, looks like a good bet to be the 14th man, while JT Thor (non-guaranteed contract) and Theo Maledon (two-way RFA) are candidates for the 15th spot. So Charlotte has options and may prefer to wait a year on the 19-year-old Nnaji, who could use another developmental season in Spain.

As for Vukcevic, Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr (Twitter link) reported in mid-August that there’s a “strong possibility” the 42nd overall pick will remain with overseas for 2023/24. He’s under contract with Partizan Belgrade, though there were rumors in July that the Serbian club was considering loaning him to Greek team Peristeri BC.

Like Nnaji, Vukcevic isn’t locked into a plan for next season yet, but it would make sense for the 20-year-old to spend at least one more season in Europe, despite his desire to come stateside right away. The Wizards currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, so their standard roster is already pretty crowded. And they wouldn’t be permitted to sign him to a two-way deal if they were to buy him out from Partizan.

We’ll wait for further clarity on the plans for Nnaji and Vukcevic, but it’s possible that Jackson’s deal with the Grizzlies will be the last contract signed by a 2023 NBA draft pick before the ’23/24 season begins.

Grizzlies Sign Shaquille Harrison, GG Jackson

August 31st, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

In a pair of press releases (Twitter links), the Grizzlies officially announced the signings of Shaquille Harrison and GG Jackson II.

While the terms of Harrison’s contract were not disclosed, Memphis has used its third and final two-way opening on Jackson, who was one of the few remaining 2023 draft picks who had yet to ink a contract, as shown by our tracker.

Harrison, 29, is a six-year NBA veteran who was waived by the Lakers in June before his salary for 2023/24 became guaranteed. He had eight brief playoff cameos for the Lakers in 2022/23 after signing on the last day of the regular season. Harrison had just finished a 10-day hardship deal with Portland prior to his stint in L.A.

Overall, the guard has appeared in 180 regular season games with Phoenix, Chicago, Utah, Denver, Brooklyn and Portland, holding career averages of 5.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.0 SPG on .435/.281/.718 shooting in 15.4 MPG. Harrison also signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Grizzlies in ’21/22, though he never played a game for Memphis.

Known as a strong defender, Harrison spent the majority of the past two seasons in the G League, winning NBAGL Defensive Player of the Year in ’21/22 and finishing third last season. A report last month indicated he was drawing EuroLeague interest, but instead he’ll be returning to Memphis.

As Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian tweets, Harrison could be in line for NBA minutes once the Grizzlies receive an extra roster slot. Memphis will be able to move guard Ja Morant to the suspended list, opening up a 15-man slot, after the fifth game of his 25-game ban.

Jackson was the 45th pick in June after one college season at South Carolina. He was a highly touted prospect entering college and one of the youngest players in his draft class after reclassifying, but had an uneven freshman season for the Gamecocks.

Overall, the 18-year-old averaged 15.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG in ’22/23, posting a subpar .384/.324/.677 shooting line in 32 games (31.9 MPG). Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal previously wrote that Jackson would likely receive a two-way deal and spend most of the upcoming season in the G League.

The Grizzlies have reached the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, and they’ll have to make some roster moves ahead of training camp. 17 of their players are on guaranteed standard deals, which means they might have some dead-money cap hits this season unless they make a consolidation trade.

World Cup Notes: France, Latvia, Aldama, Blatt

August 28th, 2023 at 7:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Team France general manager Boris Diaw said the two losses that eliminated the team from World Cup contention were troubling in different ways, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net.

“The two games were very different. First game against Canada, a team that plays very tough,” he said. “I think the concern there was that we gave up at the end of the game. On the way to losing the game. You don’t want to lose by 30 by giving up in the last minutes. That was one concern. Latvia was different. This is a game where we could’ve really played together. But we didn’t play all the way until the end and didn’t play smart enough to win.”

We have more updates from the FIBA World Cup international competition:

Speaking of Team Latvia, former NBA forward Rodions Kurucs called the win over France “amazing” and cited his team’s toughness and togetherness for the upset win, according to Stroggylakis. “I played the whole game fighting on defense,” he said. “We were sharing the ball really well. Every 50-50 ball, every rebound, we fought for it.”
Following Spain’s win over Brazil, Grizzlies big man Santi Aldama spoke to Stroggylakis about his national team’s winning culture. “I think the winning part is secondary,” Aldama said. “Meaning, the culture here that’s really good. And I think that’s what makes this team a winning team. That’s what we have to built on. We work very hard every day, we have to continue doing that and let it talk through our game.”
Canada is 2-0 heading into its game against Latvia on Tuesday. Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt is a general consultant for the Canadian team and spoke of its aims to Stroggylakis. “I’m a part of a great organization and I’m happy to be a part of what we’re trying to accomplish here with Canada basketball. And that’s becoming a team of the highest level in the FIBA scene and performing well in all competitions we’re part in,” he said.

Brooks, Jones Losses Could Be Hard To Replace

August 28th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies allowed Dillon Brooks in free agency and traded Tyus Jones. So what have they lost? Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal explores that topic. The Grizzlies have become known for their flashy style and trash talking and Brooks was a major reason for that. Jones was a locker room leader and led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of his four seasons with the club.

Team USA Notes: Portis, Hart, Jackson, Kerr

August 28th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA continues to look comfortable in the favorite’s role in this year’s World Cup. After going undefeated in five exhibition games, the Americans routed Greece on Tuesday for their second straight double-digit victory in pool play. Austin Reaves, a favorite of the Manila crowd because of his ties to the Lakers, led the way with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists.

Bobby Portis told reporters, including Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops, that the U.S. team quickly formed a bond despite not playing together before training camp began early this month.

“We stand together, obviously, it’s a journey, a long road ahead for us,” Portis said. “Two more weeks left with this team, and hopefully, we can get to the final round. We’ve been together for three and a half weeks now. Nobody complains about playing time, everybody plays for each other, playing for the name you find on this jersey. That’s what this brand is about: playing for each other, going out here, winning and having fun.”

There’s more on Team USA:

Head coach Steve Kerr was especially impressed by Josh Hart, who came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds in 20 minutes against Greece, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Hart missed the first exhibition game while waiting to finalize his extension with the Knicks, but he has become one of the team’s primary reserves. “People ask, what position does he play? He plays winner,” Kerr said. “I don’t know what position he plays, but he gets loose balls. He guards anybody. At one point, Spo (Erik Spoelstra) turned to me and said, ‘Some people get 50-50 balls. He gets to 30-70 balls,’ and I thought that was really well said.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. found himself in foul trouble in the opener against New Zealand, much like he often has with the Grizzlies, observes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year believes he needs to challenge as many shots as he can, but Kerr is encouraging him to be more discerning. “He’s foul-prone in the NBA,” Kerr said. “So, there’s always one or two plays where you just want him to let it go, because he’s too important to us. So we share those clips and just remind him sometimes the best play is to just let the guy go and don’t pick up the foul.”
The American players quickly learned that the international game is officiated differently than the NBA, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Defenders tend to be more aggressive and are allowed to get away with more contact. “Everybody is going to try to beat the crap out of us because that’s their best chance to beat us,” Kerr said.

Jackson Could Be Auditioning For Future Spot

August 24th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James shook off Dillon Brooks‘ tactics in the playoff series between the Lakers and Grizzlies. James shot 61.1 percent when guarded by Brooks, yet the new Rockets swingman has a different interpretation of how his matchup with LeBron played out, he told Arash Madani in a Sportsnet interview (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “I feel like I always had him,” Brooks said. “I feel like that series was thrown upon me cause of the words that I say, but I’ve been saying things all year and we won 50 games.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. has been manning the middle for Team USA this summer and that may be his future spot with the Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Veteran center Steven Adams is signed through the 2024/25 season but Jackson could be his eventual replacement.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Green, Spurs’ Arena, Pelicans

August 19th, 2023 at 6:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant‘s father used his son as a warning in a speech to basketball campers on Saturday, writes Elaine Sung of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Speaking at the Up Next Elite Camp in New Orleans, Tee Morant said Ja’s troubles are a result of his poor judgment.

“My son didn’t get in trouble ‘cause of people around him,” Tee Morant said. “He got in trouble for his decisions.”

The Grizzlies guard has been suspended for the first 25 games of the upcoming season because of a second incident in which he was displaying a gun in public. The missed time will prevent him from being considered for postseason awards under the NBA’s new guidelines and will cost him more than $7MM in salary. His first offense resulted in an eight-game suspension last season.

“Anytime, anywhere, know the capabilities of everybody around you,” Tee Morant told the camp participants. “Always be mindful of every decision you all make. Because pretty much, it will take over you, consume you, and make you think who you’re not.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Rockets guard Jalen Green saw a lot of time as the primary ball-handler with the Select Team in Las Vegas, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Iko adds that Green’s speed and explosiveness stood out even on a talented roster, and Magic coach Jamahl Mosley, who guided the Select Team, believes he will benefit from the on-ball experience. “I think coach Ime (Udoka)’s going to do a fantastic job communicating that with him,” Mosley said. “And I think in a leader that you have in Fred (VanVleet), that’s going to help a ton because when he plays off the basketball — back screening, moving and cutting — once he gets that ball in his hands, you’re not playing against closeouts. I think that’s going to work to his advantage a ton.”
Greg Jefferson of The San Antonio Express-News has uncovered emails and texts involving an effort by some city officials to get the Spurs to move to a downtown arena. Jefferson states that the attempt was inspired by the team’s 50th anniversary game in January, which set an NBA record by attracting 68,000 fans to the Alamodome, its former arena. Winning the lottery and drafting Victor Wembanyama intensified the enthusiasm to bring the Spurs back downtown, but Jefferson notes that no one informed officials from Bexar County, which owns the Frost Bank Center (previously the AT&T Center), where the Spurs currently play.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Pelicans have just 12 nationally televised games for 2023/24, their lowest total in the past five years, notes Christian Clark of NOLA.

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Kennard, Smart, Schedule

August 17th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Grizzlies, like every team in the league, released their schedule for the 2023/24 season on Thursday. This year’s schedule is particularly crucial to the Grizzlies, who are without star guard Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season. Morant was suspended after a video surfaced of the Grizzlies star with a firearm earlier this summer.

We now know when we should expect Morant’s return: Dec. 19. That date marks the first game in which Morant is eligible to return from his suspension, a matchup in New Orleans against the Pelicans. The game between the two Southwest Division foes will be nationally televised on TNT.

Memphis finished each of the past two years as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but Morant didn’t play more than 61 games in either season. The Grizzlies went 20-5 in 2021/22 and 11-10 in ’22/23 without Morant, though the play of former guard Tyus Jones helped allay any concerns about the play of the point guard position. Jones is now a member of the Wizards.

We have more from the Grizzlies:

Being without Morant for an extended period of time means the Grizzlies have questions to answer about their rotation. Unlike previous seasons, Jones isn’t there to help take the reins of the point. Dillon Brooks also departed in free agency, leaving Memphis with several possibilities to flesh out the rotation. The Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole writes that Luke Kennard is the safest fit to join the starting lineup.
Cole notes that players like David Roddy and Ziaire Williams, for example, might be more natural fits from a positional standpoint, but Kennard’s shooting is a known commodity while Roddy, Williams and others are younger and aren’t as projectable. Lineups including both Kennard and fellow Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane had a net rating of +33 and an effective field goal percentage of 59.9% last year in their first round series against the Lakers. Cole also sees Kennard as a good fit next to Marcus Smart, who will join the starting lineup after being acquired this offseason.
Smart’s first game as a visitor against the Celtics is on Feb. 4 on ESPN. Smart spent the first nine years of his NBA career in Boston before being traded this offseason in a move that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the C’s. Before being moved, Smart was the longest-tenured Celtic and only Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had spent as much or more time than Smart did with the team that drafted them.
In case you missed it, the Grizzlies open up the season at home against the Pelicans. Memphis has 13 nationally televised games in ’23/24.