Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Randle, Bonuses, J. Jackson

May 13th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last week indicated that Julius Randle and the Knicks are expected to discuss a contract extension for the standout forward this offseason. While it remains to be seen if the two sides will strike a deal, Randle sounds very open to getting something done with New York sooner or later. Appearing on “Victory The Podcast,” the 26-year-old expressed a desire to be a Knick long-term, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.

“I love playing in New York,” Randle said. “I want to retire as a New York Knick.”

Although Randle becomes extension-eligible this offseason, he may ultimately opt to wait until 2022 to sign a new contract, even if he wants to remain with the Knicks. His starting base salary on a four-year extension could only be worth 120% of his 2021/22 base salary ($19.8MM), whereas he’d be eligible for more money (and one extra year) if he waits until he’s a free agent.

Here are a few more Knicks-related notes:

While Randle’s base salary next season will only be $19.8MM, a pair of incentives will now be considered likely, instead of unlikely, boosting his cap hit for 2021/22 to $21.78MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. In 2020/21, Randle has earned both bonuses (worth $945K apiece this year) by making the All-Star team and being part of a playoff team.
The Knicks clinched their playoff spot on Wednesday, but they have more ambitious goals this spring, as Marc Berman of The New York Post details. The club still has a shot to move up to No. 4 in the East, and will be looking to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.
In another story for The Post, Berman says there have been whispers that the Grizzlies aren’t yet fully sold on Jaren Jackson Jr., who has had some durability issues throughout his pro career so far. While I’d be surprised if Memphis plans to move on from Jackson anytime soon, Berman notes that the big man used to be represented by Leon Rose at CAA and his father (Jaren Jackson Sr.) works for the Knicks. Jackson Jr., who is extension-eligible this offseason, is one of a number of players New York will keep an eye on, just in case.

Giannotto: End Of Season Will Determine How Grizzlies Move Forward

May 11th, 2021 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Given how well the Grizzlies have performed without some key players for long stretches of the season, anything less than a playoff spot should be considered a disappointment at this point, says Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. The way the Grizzlies close the season will also determine how they move forward in the offseason, Giannotto opines.

May Be Time For Jackson To Start

April 30th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has proven worthy of reclaiming his starting role with the club, writes Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“The plan was always for me to just get the rhythm with the guys that are out there,” Jackson said of his acclimation back onto the Grizzlies roster. “It doesn’t really matter what rotation it is because we have so many guys playing.”

“The big picture is we’re having a lot of dialogue about what our rotations are going to look like,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said.

Detailing Jontay Porter's Road To The NBA

April 27th, 2021 at 8:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

It took multiple knee surgeries, but Grizzlies power forward Jontay Porter finally made his NBA debut last month, nearly three years after his last college game. Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal examines Porter’s journey to this point. The 21-year-old out of Missouri, younger brother to Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., has now appeared sparingly in eight games for Memphis.

Grizzlies Sign Tim Frazier For Rest Of Season

April 24th, 2021 at 3:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

3:51pm: The team has confirmed the transaction via a press release.

3:15pm: The Grizzlies are signing reserve point guard Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Frazier’s second 10-day contract with the club expired on Friday night. He signed a 10-day with Memphis in January, then was re-signed in the middle of April.

Normally, teams can’t sign players to three 10-days in a season. Frazier would have be allowed to sign a third 10-day contract with Memphis because the first 10-day deal was completed using the team’s hardship exception and didn’t count toward the usual limit. However, the Grizzlies opted to give him a standard contract anyway.

He’s appeared in three games this season, averaging 1.3 PPG and 2.3 APG in 11.o MPG.

The well-traveled Frazier has also played for the Sixers, Blazers, Pelicans, Wizards, Bucks and Pistons. He went unselected in the 2014 draft.

Jackson Sees Return As "Big Win"

April 23rd, 2021 at 6:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. made his long-awaited season debut on Wednesday and looked sharp. He had 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in 18 minutes during a 12-point loss to the Clippers. He was relieved to finally play after rehabbing from knee surgery, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes. “This is a big win,” he said. “It’s been a long stretch for me.”

Checking In On Open NBA Roster Spots

April 22nd, 2021 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly a month since the NBA’s trade deadline passed, but we’ve still seen a flurry of transactional activity during the last four weeks, as teams have signed and waived players ahead of the postseason.

While some clubs have full rosters and seem unlikely to make any changes between now and the end of the regular season, that’s certainly not the case across the board.

With the help of our roster counts tracker, here’s our latest look at open roster spots around the league, as of April 22:

Teams with one or more open 15-man roster spots:

Golden State Warriors
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans (2)
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs

The Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Spurs each have 14 players on standard contracts and one opening on their 15-man rosters. They’re all good bets to sign a 15th man before the season ends, either for developmental purposes or for added postseason depth.

The Warriors and Trail Blazers have 13 players apiece on standard deals, one on a 10-day contract – Gary Payton II for Golden State and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for Portland – and one open spot. Hollis-Jefferson’s 10-day pact runs through next Tuesday, while Payton’s goes through Wednesday. Once those deals expire, the Warriors and Blazers will each have up to two weeks to get back to 14 players.

Since the NBA only allows teams to dip to 13 or fewer players for up to two weeks at a time, the Pelicans are very much on the clock. They’ve been at 13 players for the last nine days, since Isaiah Thomas‘ 10-day contract expired. The expectation is that New Orleans will sign draft-and-stash prospect Didi Louzada as a 14th man by early next week.

Teams whose 15-man rosters are full due to one or more 10-day contracts:

Cleveland Cavaliers (Mfiondu Kabengele)
Denver Nuggets (Austin Rivers)
Los Angeles Clippers (DeMarcus Cousins; Yogi Ferrell)
Memphis Grizzlies (Tim Frazier)
Oklahoma City Thunder (Justin Robinson)
Orlando Magic (Donta Hall; Robert Franks)
Philadelphia 76ers (Anthony Tolliver)
Sacramento Kings (Damian Jones)
Toronto Raptors (Freddie Gillespie)
Washington Wizards (Jordan Bell)

These 10 teams have full 15-man rosters as of today, but that might not last long. The dozen 10-day contracts listed here will begin expiring as soon as tonight (Hall), so if those players aren’t re-signed, the clubs will have roster openings.

The Nets will also fall into this group once they officially waive LaMarcus Aldridge and sign Mike James to a 10-day deal.

Teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Cleveland Cavaliers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors

The Suns have only carried a single two-way player all season long, so there’s no guarantee they’ll fill their second slot before the end of the regular season.

The other teams listed here are all better candidates to do so — Cleveland (Lamar Stevens) and Toronto (Yuta Watanabe) just recently promoted two-way players to their respective 15-man rosters, while Minnesota was carrying a pair of two-way players until waiving Ashton Hagans in February.

The Cavs reportedly intend to sign Jeremiah Martin to fill their two-way opening.

Jaren Jackson Jr. Could Return On Wednesday

April 20th, 2021 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could make his season debut on Wednesday. He’s been upgraded to questionable on the team’s injury report for its game against the Clippers, the team’s PR department tweets.

Jackson suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during the summer and has spent the season rehabbing the injury after undergoing surgery in mid-August. He could provide a major boost to a team sitting in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

Last season, Jackson averaged 17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 1.6 BPG in 57 starts. The team exercised its option on his contract for next season prior to this season. He’ll make $9.18MM in 2021/22 and then head into a free agency, either restricted or unrestricted, in the summer of ’22 unless he signs a rookie scale extension prior to opening night next season.

In terms of this season, Jackson’s return could impact the playing time of Xavier Tillman, Brandon Clarke and Justise Winslow.

Jackson will be on a minutes restriction, according to Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“We’re not going to just throw (Jackson) into the fire and play a heavy load,” coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We’re going to be smart about his minutes and his integration, obviously trying to find the right combinations for him to be successful, for our team to be successful.”

Metu "No Hate In My Heart" For Valaciunas

April 20th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings big man Chimezie Metu, who missed nearly a month-and-a-half earlier this season due to broken wrist he suffered when he was thrown to the court by Jonas Valanciunas, said he’s not holding a grudge toward the Grizzlies center, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays. “It is frustrating looking back on it at times because who knows what could have happened in those six weeks for myself and what that could have meant for my career or for the team, for the team’s success,” Metu said. “… It’s tough looking back at it. It was tough in the moment, but I hold no hate in my heart for Valanciunas.”

Tyus Jones Earns Bonus With Grizzlies

April 18th, 2021 at 9:11pm CST by JD Shaw

Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones earned a $817K bonus after the team beat Milwaukee 128-115 on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Jones had an incentive in his contract for 33 wins, but the total was prorated down to 29 due to the shortened season. Memphis currently holds the eighth-best record in the Western Conference at 29-26.