Jordan Adams

And-Ones: White, Adams, Hawes, Withey

Former first-round pick Royce White still plans to play in Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league this summer despite making a jump to mixed martial arts, the 27-year-old told Hoops Rumors.

White, who last played in the NBA with Sacramento in 2014, entered his name to the BIG3 player pool in early February. White first made his intentions of starting a career in MMA known during an interview with ESPN’s Greg Rosenstein.

“I’m one of the best athletes in the world,” White told ESPN. “Among the NBA community, part of my appeal as a draft prospect was my unique size, athleticism, vision and that I probably have one of the 10 biggest set of hands in the NBA. I think all of those things will translate beautifully to the UFC.”

White released a book this week titled “MMA x NBA: A Critique of Modern Sport in America”. He was drafted 16th by the Rockets in 2012 after a standout season at Iowa State, later moving on to hold stints with the Kings and teams overseas before temporarily stepping away from the court last August.

White, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward, joins Shannon Brown, Kendrick Perkins, Lamar Odom and other former NBA players who are set to play in the BIG3 this summer.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Free agent Jordan Adams has been acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, G League affiliate of the Rockets, agent Shasta Scott told Hoops Rumors. Adams appeared in 32 games with the Grizzlies from 2014-16, averaging 3.2 points per game in limited time. He was drafted with the No. 22 pick by Memphis in 2014.
  • Former NBA player Spencer Hawes has signed a contract in the NBA G League and is available to be claimed off waivers, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days tweets. Hawes, a 10-year NBA veteran, has made stops with the Kings, Sixers, Cavaliers, Clippers, Hornets and Bucks during his professional career.
  • Jeff Withey has agreed to a deal with Greek team Lavrio B.C. for the rest of the season, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando). Withey started the season in Turkey with Tofas Bursa, but left the team following their elimination in the EuroCup. He last played in the NBA with the Mavericks during the 2017-18 season.

And-Ones: Postponement, Goodwin, Adams, Smith

The Sixers and Kings will have to find room on their schedules for a make-up game after tonight’s contest in Philadelphia was postponed because of excess moisture on the floor of Wells Fargo Center. Crews worked for about an hour trying to dry the court before the game was officially called off. No makeup date was announced, but there is speculation that it will be rescheduled when the Kings make their next Eastern swing in late January. Both teams are off and the arena will be available on January 30th, tweets The Vertical’s Bobby Marks.

There’s more basketball news tonight:

  • Archie Goodwin, who was waived by the Pelicans November 20th, has been claimed by the Greensboro Swarm of the D-League, according to a tweet from D-League Digest. The Hornets’ affiliate reportedly tried to trade Goodwin’s rights, but couldn’t work out a deal (Twitter link). Goodwin spent the last three seasons with the Suns, but was released in the preseason. The Pelicans signed him earlier this month when injuries left them shorthanded, but he played just three games in New Orleans.
  • Shooting guard Jordan Adams, who was claimed by the Oklahoma City Blue on Monday, has failed his physical, according to D-League Digest (Twitter link). The team will still retain the rights to Adams and will not move back to the top of the waiver order (Twitter link). Adams, a UCLA product, was waived by the Grizzlies during the preseason. A first-round pick in 2014, he had spent the past two seasons in Memphis, playing 30 games in 2014/15 and two games last season.
  • Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue says a mental lapse by J.R. Smith that led to an easy Bucks basket Tuesday night is a sign of an overall focus problem by the team, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Smith walked to the Milwaukee bench to greet Jason Terry during an inbounds play, leaving Matthew Dellavedova open for an easy layup. “Obviously we both know it wasn’t intentional, but it was just a lack of focus,” Smith said. “One of the multiple things that compounded onto the loss was just as a team we haven’t been as focused as we previously were.”

Kendall Marshall, Jordan Adams Claimed By D-League Teams

A pair of former first-round picks have entered the NBA D-League player pool and have been claimed, according to a pair of reports from D-League Digest (Twitter links). Sources tell D-League Digest that the Reno Bighorns have claimed point guard Kendall Marshall, while the Oklahoma City Blue have claimed shooting guard Jordan Adams.

Marshall, who turned 25 this summer, has played for the Suns, Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers since entering the NBA as a lottery pick in 2012. He was sent from Philadelphia to Utah in an offseason trade, and was promptly cut by the Jazz in August before his salary for 2016/17 became guaranteed. Marshall, who has averaged 5.0 PPG and 4.9 APG in 160 career NBA contests, has been a free agent since then, and it appears he has decided to play in the D-League while he continues to seek another NBA opportunity.

Marshall will be joining the Kings’ D-League affiliate in Reno, which is somewhat interesting. There’s no indication that Sacramento’s NBA club has any interest in signing Marshall, but the Kings aren’t particularly stacked at point guard, with Darren Collison and Ty Lawson in the final year of their respective contracts. If Marshall plays well for the Bighorns, perhaps Sacramento will want to take a flier on him.

As for Adams, he was one of several Grizzlies players waived as the team reduced its roster to 15 players at the end of the preseason. The UCLA product was the 22nd overall pick in 2014 and is still just 22 years old, but he has been plagued by injuries since entering the NBA, appearing in just 32 total games for Memphis, so the team was willing to cut its losses and eat his guaranteed salary. Adams, who is still earning $1.221MM from the Grizzlies this season, is set to join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.

Grizzlies Exercise 2017/18 Option On Jarell Martin

The Grizzlies have exercised their third-year team option on Jarell Martin, locking in his salary for the 2017/18 season, the team announced today in a press release. The move comes three days before the October 31 deadline for decisions on ’17/18 rookie-scale options.

Martin, 22, was the 25th overall pick in the 2015 draft, and appeared in just 27 games for the Grizzlies in his rookie season. The 6’10” power forward averaged 5.7 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 14.1 minutes per contest for the Grizzlies, upping those marks to 15.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG (in 28.9 MPG) in 10 games for the D-League’s Iowa Energy.

Despite Martin’s modest production in his rookie season, it makes sense for the Grizzlies to exercise his 2017/18 option, given its price. The LSU product will make just $1.342MM, after earning $1.286MM this season. He’ll have another team option for 2018/19, and would be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2019 if he plays out his rookie contract.

Martin’s option was one of two the Grizzlies had to exercise or decline this fall, but the team made its other decision early — Jordan Adams was waived by the club during its preseason cutdown, eliminating his 2017/18 option from his contract.

The full breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions can be found right here.

Grizzlies Waive Matt Costello

The Grizzlies have officially waived Matt Costello, the team announced via press release. It’s unclear if Costello’s deal included any guaranteed salary that the team will be responsible for, as contract details have not been relayed for the initial signing.

Costello was waived by the Hawks last Monday and inked by the Grizzlies on Thursday. The undrafted rookie out of Michigan State averaged 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 9.0 minutes during his two preseason appearances with Atlanta.

Memphis also confirmed the previously-reported release of Jordan Adams, so the team’s roster now stands at 15 players, which is the regular season maximum.

Grizzlies Waive Three, Will Also Cut Jordan Adams

5:32pm: The Grizzlies have waived Stephens, according to a team press release. The team has also waived Wayne Selden Jr. and JaKarr Sampson.

SATURDAY, 2:53pm: The Grizzlies have pared down their roster in advance of the regular season, waiving Jordan Adams and D.J. Stephens, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports (on Twitter). Memphis will be on the hook for Adams’ fully guaranteed salary of  $1,465,080 and Stephens’ partial guarantee of $35K, provided they are not claimed off waivers by another club.

Adams, 22, appeared in 32 NBA games since being selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. His numbers during that stretch are 3.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 8.2 minutes per contest. His career slash line is .402/.385/.607.

The 25-year-old Stephens has three games of NBA experience with Milwaukee in 2014. The Cavs signed Stephens to a training camp deal last September, but then waived him shortly before the season started. The previous fall, Stephens had inked minimum-salary camp deal with the Pelicans and was among the team’s final cuts about a week before Halloween in 2014.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Adams, Grizzlies, Mavs

During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (SoundCloud link), Rockets general manager Daryl Morey suggested that his team is “ready-made to add another star-level player” to complement James Harden. Morey pointed to the size of the Houston market, the presence of Harden (and several solid role players), and the arrival of coach Mike D’Antoni as reasons why top-tier free agents would be interested in joining the Rockets.

“If [Dwight Howard] chooses to come back, I think we’ve already shown that combination can win 56 and make the Western Conference Finals,” the Rockets GM said. “If he chooses to opt out and we can’t get him back in free agency, then we’re ready-made to add a star level player. We have the cap room.”

Here’s more from out of the Southwest division:

  • Grizzlies guard Jordan Adams has appeared in only 32 games during his first two NBA seasons, and his availability for the start of the 2016/17 season could be up in the air as well. The Grizzlies announced in a Wednesday press release that Adams was undergoing cartilage transplant surgery on his right knee. No recovery timetable was revealed, but GM Chris Wallace called it “difficult news for Jordan and our organization.”
  • Small forward will probably be the Grizzlies‘ biggest position of need this summer, according to Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who examines Memphis’ options and suggests the team is more likely to add a starting three via free agency or trade than in the draft.
  • Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News identifies five potential free agent targets that he believes are attainable and logical fits for the Mavericks, including Ryan Anderson, Pau Gasol, and Kent Bazemore.
  • Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com previews the Spurs‘ summer, noting that the team’s offseason direction will hinge on whether Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire or decide to return for one more year.

Southwest Notes: Gasol, Joerger, Pachulia

Pau Gasol once more finds the idea of joining the Spurs intriguing, as he said to the Marca newspaper in his native Spain (translation via HoopsHype). Marc Gasol, who’s under contract with the Grizzlies for at least another three years, this week curiously advised his brother to sign with San Antonio. The Spurs were among the teams Pau Gasol reportedly considered when he was a free agent two years ago. The new Creative Artists Agency client has a player option with the Bulls for next season, but it’s worth less than $7.77MM and he’s long said he’ll likely turn it down, and chances of a new deal in Chicago appear to be waning.

See more from the Southwest Division:

  • The idea that the Timberwolves considered Dave Joerger for the coaching job that’s since gone to Tom Thibodeau simply wasn’t true, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Any would-be path to Minnesota for Joerger vanished when former coach/executive Flip Saunders died, Tillery writes. The Commercial Appeal scribe expects Joerger to seek an extension with the Grizzlies as he heads into next season, the last one that’s guaranteed on his existing deal.
  • Joerger pushed hard for the team to draft Rodney Hood two years ago, when the Grizzlies selected Jordan Adams instead, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com details amid a larger piece on the team. Despite the way Hood, a 36% 3-point shooter, has blossomed for the Jazz, Grizzlies executive Ed Stefanski rejects the notion that the front office hasn’t looked for shooting. “Of course we want shooters,” Stefanski said. “An ‘oh, [expletive]’ shooter would be a helluva weapon for us, but they’re not easily had. It makes me laugh when people act like we’re ignoring shooters. You think we’re not looking?”
  • Soon-to-be free agent Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia wishes he had a lifetime contract and doesn’t understand why more players don’t choose to play in Dallas, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News“It’s my first year for me being here so I don’t exactly know what happened previously,” Pachulia said. “But the one thing, whoever will come here and play for this team and this organization would love it. Very few percentage of the players — very few — wouldn’t like it. The city, the fans, the organization, the personality and the heart. This team is all about winning. So if you are a winner definitely this is the place to be.”

Mike Conley Expected To Miss Rest Of Season

Mike Conley is expected to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs because of his sore left Achilles tendon, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The same fate appears to be true for Brandan Wright and Jordan Adams, based on the answer coach Dave Joerger gave when asked the status of all three and P.J. Hairston, as Tillery relays. Joerger said only that he thinks Hairston will return to play.

Doctors determined that it would be in Conley’s best interest to sit out until next season after examining him last week, as Tillery details. The Grizzlies and Conley are exercising caution amid fear that playing with the injury would lead to a torn Achilles, Tillery writes. Conley, who hasn’t played since March 6th, is headed into free agency this summer, when he figures to be one of the most sought-after players available and the top point guard on the market.

Wright is in the first season of a three-year contract but has appeared in only 12 games for the Grizzlies because of injury. Conflicting reports early last month surrounded his timetable for recovery from a sprained MCL in his right knee, but according to Tillery, he was never expected to return in the regular season, with only the playoffs a possibility. Postseason play now also appears out of the question. Tillery hears he suffered a Grade II sprain, not a Grade I, as previously reported.

The Grizzlies have been reluctant to give insight on the health of Adams, as Tillery chronicles. The second-year shooting guard has been out since January because of right knee surgery, and the time of his expected return has never been clear.

Hairston hasn’t played since March 15th with what’s generally been listed as a left groin strain, though Tillery refers to it as a hamstring injury. In any case, he ran sprints as part of a workout Sunday, according to Tillery, so his health is a bright spot for the Grizzlies, who’ve used an all-time NBA record 28 players this season as injuries have decimated their lineup.

Memphis can’t receive a disabled player exception, and while the team is carrying two extra roster spots via hardship, it doesn’t seem likely the NBA will allow that to continue into the playoffs, as Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal wrote earlier today. The Grizzlies aren’t yet assured of a playoff berth, and though they’re in fifth place and would otherwise seem a safe bet for the postseason, they lead the ninth-place Rockets by only two games in the loss column. The regular season ends a week from Wednesday.

Grizzlies Rumors: Adams, Ennis, Barnes

The Grizzlies shouldn’t write off Jordan Adams as another draft failure despite his knee surgery this week, contends Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. Adams has only appeared in two games for Memphis this season after averaging 3.1 points and 0.9 rebounds in 30 games during his rookie season of 2014/15. While admitting the Grizzlies have a spotty record in drafting and player development, Herrington argues that it’s too early to give up on Adams considering that he’s only 21, still on a rookie contract and has been promising when he has played. Adams is likely to be out of action six to eight weeks, meaning he will rejoin the team before the season ends. However, Herrington notes that the injury has left his role for next season in question.

There’s more news out of Memphis:

  • James Ennis hasn’t seen much playing time with the Grizzlies, but he’s too much of a bargain to get rid of, Herrington argues in the same piece. Ennis came to Memphis from Miami in a November 10th deal, but has appeared in only seven NBA games and has made eight trips to the D-League. However, he is signed for next season at a little more than $980K, and Herrington says that value made it a wise decision to keep him over Ryan Hollins last week when Memphis signed Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract. Herrington also speculates that Hollins could be brought back after Williams’ deal expires Sunday.
  • Matt Barnes hasn’t changed his mind about Knicks coach Derek Fisher in the wake of the October incident that led to a two-game suspension for Barnes, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The former friends haven’t been on speaking terms since an alleged physical confrontation October 3rd at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, and Barnes said he plans to keep it that way when the Grizzlies host the Knicks tonight. “I just don’t like him, plain and simple. He knows I don’t like him,” Barnes said. “Don’t say nothing to me, I don’t plan on saying nothing to him. Don’t try to shake my hand. There’s none of that. There’s nothing there. There never will be. Just stay away from me basically.”