There are 14 games left on Los Angeles’ regular season schedule, but the team’s two-way players – all of whom have emerged as contributors – won’t be able to suit up for all of those games as long as they remain on their current contracts.

Here are the details on their limits:

• Jordan Goodwin: Four active games remaining.
• Christian Koloko: Nine active games remaining.
• Trey Jemison: Nine active games remaining.

When a player signs a two-way contract before the start of the season, he’s eligible to be active for up to 50 regular season games. That amount becomes prorated if a player signs a two-way deal during the season.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contract]

Koloko is the only one of the Lakers’ three two-way players who opened the year with the team, so he has a full 50 games available — he’s used 41 of them so far, with 34 appearances and seven additional DNPs. Jemison, who signed in January, has used 17 of his 26 available games (15 appearances, two DNPs), while Goodwin, signed in February, has used 15 of 19, appearing in all 15 of those games.

Unlike the injury-plagued Mavericks, the Lakers won’t find themselves at risk of not being able to deploy the minimum required eight active players if and when Goodwin, Koloko, and/or Jemison reach their limits. Los Angeles has more than enough healthy players to get by.

The Lakers also aren’t right up against their hard cap in the same way that the Mavericks are, so if they want to promote one or more of their two-way players to their standard 15-man roster, that’s an option. In that scenario, the player would no longer be subject to these restrictions and would also become playoff-eligible, putting him in position to play in any and every regular season and postseason game for L.A. this spring.

It seems likely the Lakers will go that route before season’s end. Goodwin, in particular, has become a regular rotation player, appearing in 15 of the team’s last 19 games and averaging 21.5 minutes per night during that stretch. His playing time has been trending upward as of late — he has started L.A.’s past four games and averaged 30.3 MPG in those contests.

Jemison and Koloko haven’t seen as much action as Goodwin, but one or the other has generally been serving as the Lakers’ backup center since the All-Star break. Jemison has been something of a good-luck charm — Los Angeles won the first 13 games in which he played.

The Lakers are currently operating about $894K below their hard cap. As of today, a rest-of-season, minimum-salary contract for any of their two-way players would count against the cap for approximately $300K. A multiyear deal for Jemison or Koloko would carry the same first-year cap hit, while a multiyear contract for Goodwin would have a slightly higher cap charge ($311K).

In other words, while the Lakers don’t quite have enough room to give standard contracts to Goodwin, Jemison, and Koloko today, they could easily max out those players’ two-way games and then promote them before the end of the regular season while staying below their hard cap.

Of course, the Lakers currently have a full 15-man standard roster, so they can’t promote any of their two-way players to a standard contract without waiving at least one of those 15.

Forward Cam Reddish, who has barely played since a trade agreement sending him to Charlotte fell through, and center Alex Len, a buyout market addition who hasn’t been very effective in a limited role, look like the top candidates to be waived if the Lakers need a roster spot.

Beyond those two, there aren’t a ton of great release candidates. Only three other players on the 15-man roster aren’t owed any guaranteed money beyond this season. Jaxson Hayes is the Lakers’ starting center and won’t be cut; Markieff Morris is valued for his veteran leadership; and Shake Milton has been pretty solid when given the opportunity to play.

In my opinion, the most likely scenario in Los Angeles is that Goodwin gets a promotion after reaching his active-game limit, replacing Reddish on the 15-man roster. The team could then decide during the last week or two of the regular season whether to promote Jemison or Koloko (or both) in place of a veteran like Len or Morris.

While a Jemison/Len swap would make some sense to me, it’s worth noting that Jemison is the only one of L.A.’s three two-way players whose contract runs through next season, so the club would be giving up that guaranteed extra year of two-way control by converting him this season. If the Lakers really want Jemison available in the postseason, that won’t stop them from promoting him, but if they’re deciding between him and Koloko, it’ll be a factor they take into account.

As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, while Luka Doncic and LeBron James each recorded 30-point double-doubles, both superstars credited the team’s supporting cast for the comeback victory. Gabe Vincent, who was limited to just 11 games last season due to a knee injury, made three three-pointers late in the fourth quarter. Doncic said those timely shots “won the game.”

“It’s part of why I’m here,” Vincent said. “Part of why I’m here is what I’ve done at those moments late in the season. So just try and take the experience I’ve had and built and just try to continue to keep up with winning games.”

The Lakers also received important contributions from rookie forward Dalton Knecht (11 points, four rebounds), starting center Jaxson Hayes (eight points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks) and backup center Trey Jemison (seven points, four rebounds), McMenamin notes.

“There’s no such thing as non-key players on this team,” James said. “Everybody is key. And everybody who steps on the floor has a role and they go in and match that. And I thought our bench gave us a great lift once again and Gabe was — I’ll single him out — he was spectacular. His play both on the defensive end and obviously his shooting, we needed it.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

• Jovan Buha and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic share their takeaways from Thursday’s matchup between the Lakers and Knicks. As we relayed in another story, the biggest news from the game was Knicks star Jalen Brunson suffering a right ankle injury in overtime.
• He struggled in the game, going just 2-of-13 from the field in 32 minutes, but it was a positive development that Austin Reaves was able to return from a right calf strain, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Reaves had missed the past two contests with the injury. “The imaging we got kind of relieved any fears we had,” head coach JJ Redick said before Thursday’s game. “It’s just been more about him feeling comfortable and ready to play. He’s just had an overall great season. He’s been solid – more than solid. He’s been really good through each iteration of this team this season. And I think the more time that him, Bron and Luka could just all be on the court together and get comfortable is good for us going into this home stretch.”
• Although it’s largely a coincidence, since they happened to sign him right when their hot streak began, the Lakers have yet to lose a game in which Jemison has appeared for them in 2024/25, tweets Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Jemison, who is on a two-way contract, is a candidate to be promoted to the standard roster, as two-way players aren’t eligible for the postseason. The Lakers are now 13-0 when Jemison plays.

Doncic scored 31 points in Friday’s win, then put up 29 points, nine assists, and six rebounds on Sunday. In that second victory, the Lakers were a +19 in his 37 minutes on the court and were outscored by 13 points in the 11 minutes he didn’t play. Head coach J.J. Redick loved what he saw from his newest star, as Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times writes.

“It just seemed like throughout the game, when we needed a bucket, when we needed him to draw a second, third defender at times, he was able to make the right play — minus the six turnovers. But he played fantastic,” Redick said after Sunday’s win. “And again, it was that verve and that spirit of competition. But also just something that is — maybe it’s an inner demon, I don’t know — but it comes out and it’s fantastic for us when it does.”

The Lakers’ defense has been a revelation during their recent hot streak — the team ranks first in the NBA with a 107.5 defensive rating since January 15 and has won 18 of 22 games during that time. But Doncic’s recent play has shown just how dangerous the team can be an offense as well.

“You’ve got a guy in your corner going Super Saiyan, for lack of a better word,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said. “And making great plays, hitting shots, it’s a lot of fun. It can give us a lot of life and we’ve been creating a lot of energy on the defensive side. And when he gets hot offensively, we feel like we can’t be stopped in that regard.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

• Doncic briefly left Sunday’s game after being kneed in the right knee, explaining after the game that he has taken multiple shots to that area within the past week. “Third straight game, the same spot,” he said (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). “So, I was kind of struggling on that right leg. But I’m good.”
• Only two teams in the NBA – the Cavaliers and Thunder – have a better home record than the Lakers’ 23-7 mark, which is why it’s encouraging that they’ve climbed into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, writes Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. If they hold that spot, they’d have home-court advantage for at least the first two rounds of the postseason. After Sunday’s win, Doncic referred to the atmosphere inside of Crypto.com Arena as “unbelievable.”
• In a separate column for The L.A. Times, Hernandez writes that Redick has been everything the Lakers could have hoped for when they hired him as a first-time head coach. The Lakers players are buying what Redick is selling, according to Hernandez, who says the new coach has successfully instilled a positive culture and identity more effectively than any of his recent predecessors.
• Cap expert Eric Pincus breaks down the Lakers’ options for promoting Jordan Goodwin and Trey Jemison from their two-way contracts to the standard roster, noting that giving them standard deals will be necessary if the team wants to have the duo available for the playoffs. While Cam Reddish seems likely to be the odd man out if just one of the two is promoted, it’s unclear who else might be waived if the Lakers want to elevate both — Pincus suggests recently signed center Alex Len, who struggled in limited minutes and quickly dropped out of the rotation, could be a release candidate.
• Pincus also points out that the Lakers wouldn’t be able to sign a new two-way player to replace Goodwin or Jemison unless a promotion occurs today, since March 4 is the deadline for two-way signings.

“We’ll see in the coming days,” Christie told reporters. “Probably tomorrow or the next day we’ll have an idea, but everyone’s just pulling for him. Stepping in and, wow, we’re talking about Domantas Sabonis, who covers the stat sheet in a way that is difficult to do. A lot of guys stepped in and weren’t trying to do too much. They were just trying to do what they do and that adds up to everyone pulling the rope in the same direction.”

Sacramento was able to overcome Sabonis’ injury because of a strong night from backup center Jonas Valanciunas, who was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. Playing nearly 30 minutes off the bench, Valanciunas contributed 15 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and three blocks as the Kings leap-frogged two teams to move into eighth in the Western Conference standings.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

• Bradley Beal remains questionable for Sunday’s contest against Minnesota after missing the Suns‘ last two games with tightness in his left calf, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Grayson Allen, who sat out Friday’s game due to left foot soreness, is probable to return. After snapping a three-game losing streak Friday night, Kevin Durant said the Suns need to block out distractions and concentrate on playing basketball. “It’s so much noise that’s going to be around us,” Durant said. “It’s so much tension around whether we’re going to win or lose the next game. So many people wishing that we don’t win games. It’s just a lot of BS around us, but I think if we understand that’s just the nature of the beast and we go out there and play with more pride and more energy, more enthusiasm, I think that things can turn around, but you really actually got to feel that.”
• Clippers coach Tyronn Lue expressed hope that leading scorer Norman Powell can return soon after missing the last five games with soreness in his left knee, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Lue added that Powell tried to play through the pain before the All-Star break, but he eventually had to make a change in the medical treatment he was receiving on the knee. “But like I said, he’s getting close, and he’s been doing the things needed to try to get back on the floor and so hopefully sooner than later,” Lue said.
• The Lakers are getting valuable contributions from their two-way players, observes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Jordan Goodwin and Trey Jemison both played a role in Friday’s win over the Clippers. “Those guys are just professional,” coach J.J. Redick said. “And a lot of times with two-ways, you can err on the side of youth and development, and I think there’s a lot of merit and a lot of value in that. Trey and Goodie are older players by two-way standards. And so, to be able to have them both with experience and both having been in the league now for a couple of years – Goodie longer than that – but they know how to play and they can contribute to winning.”

As Haynes points out, Booker seemed to allude to that conversation during his post-game remarks on Thursday when he discussed what the Suns need to do to improve amid a stretch that’s seen them drop out of the play-in picture in the West.

“It can be fixed with just a little more talking I’d say,” Booker said. “Things get tough, we get quiet as a team and from my experience and what I’ve seen, that’s not the way to get through it.”

Budenholzer addressed the report on Friday, per Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic. According to the championship-winning coach, he and Booker talk often and have a healthy relationship and dialogue.

“Devin always starts with himself,” Budenholzer said. “He’s always pushing us to be better. Devin is awesome and his communication is awesome. His style is great. I get it, I understand. I don’t have a lot more to say. There’s conversations I have with Devin all the time. I’m good with those conversations. We don’t always agree on everything. I think he actually appreciates it, I appreciate it. I’ll leave it there.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

• The Suns have leaned heavily recently on Bol Bol, who has started five of their past eight games. He’s been impressive in those five starts, averaging 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2% from the field and 41.2% from three (on 6.8 attempts per game). His strong play drew praise from teammate Kevin Durant, per PHNX Sports (Twitter link). “I think a lot of younger players can learn from how he approaches the game,” Durant said of Bol. “And it’s not as glamorized, people don’t think that about Bol, because he’s so quiet and unassuming, but he’s a pro’s pro, and he’s shown that ever since he came here to Phoenix. And ever since he’s been my teammate, I’ve been blown away by how hard he works, how much he cares, how much he wants to go out there and play well, how great of a teammate he is.“
• Two-way center Trey Jemison played a big role in the Lakers‘ win over the Clippers, recording five points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. As Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times points out (via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin’s Twitter), the Lakers are 10-0 this season when Jemison plays. The big man said he’s impressed with how L.A.’s bench is shaping up in the late stretch of the season. “If you want this win, you have to come fight us. Literally fight us,” Jemison said of the bench identity, per The Athletic Jovan Buha (Twitter link).
• Another two-way player for the Lakers has also stood out as of late — in his eight games with Los Angeles, Jordan Goodwin is averaging 6.1 points and 1.3 steals. According to Buha (Twitter link), head coach JJ Redick said he foresees Goodwin continuing to play a rotation role moving forward. The Lakers don’t have any roster spots open and two-way players aren’t eligible for the playoffs, so if they want Jemison or Goodwin to have a role in the postseason rotation, they’d have to clear spots for one or both by waiving players on guaranteed deals.
• Stephen Curry‘s 56 points on Thursday emphasized the fact that he and the Warriors are still worth monitoring as a potential contender, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes. While Thompson suggests it may be premature to call the Warriors true contenders, he notes that Curry continues to prove there are few players in the league worth taking over him in a seven-game series.

Sources tell Charania that Williams failed his physical with the Lakers due to “multiple issues” (Twitter link). He adds that none of the concerns involve problems with Williams’ back, which caused him to miss most of last season.

With L.A. looking for help in the middle after sending Anthony Davis to Dallas in the Luka Doncic deal, the Hornets agreed to part with Williams in exchange for rookie wing Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, the Lakers’ unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap.

Although both teams announced the trade on Thursday, it remained conditional on Williams and Knecht reporting to their new teams and passing physicals, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

If the trade deadline hadn’t passed, the two teams could have gone back to the negotiating table, as the Sixers and Mavericks did after Dallas didn’t like Caleb Martin‘s physical. However, after the deadline, a trade can only be accepted or voided, not amended, so Williams will go back to Charlotte and Knecht and Reddish will return to L.A. along with the draft assets.

That means instead of having an opening, the Lakers now have a full 15-man roster and are $1.6MM below the second apron. The Hornets will have 14 players on standard contracts, along with Elfrid Payton, who signed a 10-day deal on Friday via the hardship exception.

Although the Lakers are 3-0 since giving up Davis, there are concerns about how the team will get by without a proven center who can rebound and protect the basket.

Jaxson Hayes has moved into the starting lineup over the past five games, and he had another solid outing today with nine points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes in a victory over Indiana. Trey Jemison, who joined the team on a two-way contract last month, logged nearly 12 minutes off the bench and may see regular playing time for the rest of the season.

General manager Rob Pelinka thought he solved that problem when he reached the deal with Charlotte, valuing Williams highly enough to part with his last available first-round pick when there were more affordable centers on the market. Finding a long-term answer in the middle will likely be a top priority for Pelinka this offseason.

The Williams deal is the first NBA trade to be rescinded since the Pistons voided a deal with the Nuggets ahead of the 2022 trade deadline due to concerns about Bol Bol‘s physical.

The Lakers fared better against Miami’s zone defense in the second half and came back to register their first win since Jan. 3.

“I challenged the team across the board today in our meeting about leadership,” Redick said. “And leadership — people think about talking, obviously being vocal, talking in the huddles, whatever it may be. That certainly is a form of leadership. But leadership takes many forms. And I think talk is a requirement of the job as a basketball player. Talk is a requirement of the job.”

According to Woike, Los Angeles’ Wednesday win was a sign of growth, with players taking accountability for things they hadn’t been doing.

We have more from the Lakers:

• Guard Austin Reaves played a huge role in the win against Miami and he’s continuing to grow as a play-maker. Reaves is averaging 9.6 assists per game since Christmas, including a career-high 16 on Dec. 29 and 14 against the Heat. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link), Redick said Thursday that Reaves is playing at an “All-Star level.” His season-long averages of 17.9 points and 6.2 assists per game would be career highs if they hold.
• LeBron James continues to be thrilled about having Bronny James on the roster, even if the younger James isn’t playing much, Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times writes. “Bronny doesn’t have to play basketball at all,” LeBron James said on the New Heights podcast (YouTube link). “It’s not like he needs the money. He can do whatever he wants to do. Like, if he wants to be the CEO of my company, he could be that. I’ll start teaching him right now to be that if he wants to. But he’s like, ‘This is my career … my goals and … aspirations and I want to play ball. This is something I love.’ I love that kid. He’s awesome.” Bronny has played sparingly at the NBA level, but he’s averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in the G League.
• The Lakers signed Trey Jemison to a two-way contract on Wednesday, replacing Quincy Olivari. That deal is for two years, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
• According to McMenamin (Twitter link), the addition of Jemison coincides with the coaching staff’s desire to play Anthony Davis with another center on the floor. Outside of Jemison, the Lakers’ centers on the roster consist of Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko. Wood hasn’t played all season due to a knee injury, while Hayes has also battled health issues and Koloko (on a two-way) has had a limited role.

5:15 pm: Hot off the heels of waiving former two-way point guard Quincy Olivari, the Lakers intend to sign free agent center Trey Jemison to their newly available two-way slot, sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The 6’11” big man out of UAB had most recently been on a two-way deal with the Pelicans. New Orleans waived him last week.

Across 16 bouts with the injury-plagued Pelicans at the NBA level this year, Jemison averaged 2.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 10.4 minutes per game.

Jemison went undrafted in 2023 and joined New Orleans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, as an affiliate player at the start of the 2023/24 season. He subsequently signed 10-day contracts with the Wizards and Grizzlies, and was later picked up by Memphis on a two-way deal to close out the season. Jemison was cut by the Grizzlies this past summer, before being picked up by the Pelicans.

Playing for Birmingham last season, Jemison averaged 10.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 31.6 minutes per contest across 25 total outings.

Jemison is now the second center inked to a two-way deal for Los Angeles, joining Christian Koloko. The Lakers have been dealing with long-term injuries to several of their reserve big men this season. It makes sense that the team’s front office is seeking out immediate, short-term help at the five spot to spell All-NBA center Anthony Davis.

Forward Armel Traore is the Lakers’ third rostered two-way player.

Shams Charania of ESPN tweets that Jemison helps bolster the club’s frontcourt as a physical post presence. As a two-way player, he’ll likely split his time between L.A.’s G League club, the South Bay Lakers, and the NBA squad.

Reserve Lakers center Christian Wood and forward Jarred Vanderbilt have been sidelined all season while recuperating from offseason surgeries. Backup Los Angeles center Jaxson Hayes has been in and out of the lineup for much of the year with his own ailments. Koloko has had to log significant time as occasionally the team’s only legitimate healthy center behind Davis. Meanwhile Davis, who has his own history of injuries, has been the Lakers’ steadiest rotational big man.

Brooks, who went undrafted in 2024 out of Washington, is averaging 17.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks in 20 games with New Orleans’ G League affiliate in Birmingham. After signing the 6’7″ forward, the Pelicans will have all three two-way slots filled with 14 players on standard contracts.

5:01 pm: The Pelicans are waiving two-way center Trey Jemison, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). The Pelicans originally claimed Jemison on waivers from the Grizzlies last July.

Jemison, 25, has experience with the Wizards, Grizzlies and Pels. He made 16 appearances with New Orleans this season, averaging 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per night. He didn’t play much with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, this season, but did average 10.9 PPG, 11.8 RPG and 1.6 BPG with the Squadron last season.

The 6’11” center originally went undrafted in 2023 after playing collegiately with Clemson and then UAB. The Pelicans signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal last September, but he was cut and played with Birmingham in the G League as an affiliate player.

The Wizards signed him to a 10-day deal last January before he caught on with the Grizzlies on a 10-day contract after his Washington contract expired. Jemison impressed for a Grizzlies team needing bodies last year, earning a two-year, two-way deal and averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 23 games (14 starts).

Because he’s being waived two days after the league-wide salary guarantee deadline, Jemison will be assured of earning his full-season two-way salary.

By waiving Jemison, the Pelicans will open up a two-way roster spot, with Brandon Boston Jr. and Jamal Cain occupying the two others. New Orleans also has an open standard roster slot. Boston is likely to earn a promotion to a standard deal at some point this year after becoming a rotation mainstay.

Jemison was on a two-way contract with Memphis. He signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies in January, then agreed to a two-year, two-way deal when that contract expired.

He earned regular minutes down the stretch on a Memphis roster hit hard by injuries, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in 23 games (24.9 MPG).

With the free agent loss of Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans has been busy this summer adding other options. The Pelicans signed free agents Daniel Theis and Karlo Matkovic and drafted Yves Missi. Jemison gives them yet another option in the middle.

Jemison, who also played two games with Washinigton last season, went undrafted out of UAB.

New Orleans has two other players —Malcolm Hill and Jamal Cain — signed to two-way deals, so Jemison will fill the third slot.

Huff, who went undrafted out of Virginia in 2021, has bounced back and forth between the NBA and G League over the past three years, appearing in 31 regular season NBA games during that time, including 20 while on a two-way contract with the Nuggets last season.

Huff’s contributions at the NBA level have been modest (2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game), but he has excelled in the NBAGL, earning Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBAGL First Team honors in 2023. In 18 games last season for the Grand Rapids Gold – Denver’s affiliate – he averaged 19.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks in 28.9 minutes per contest, with a strong shooting line of .573/.390/.857.

The 7’1″ center was also impressive at the Las Vegas Summer League with the Magic this month, putting up 16.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.2 BPG on .621/.357/.778 shooting in five outings (26.5 MPG).

Jemison signed a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies in January, then agreed to a two-year, two-way deal when that contract expired. He earned regular minutes down the stretch on a Memphis roster hit hard by injuries, averaging 7.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in 23 games (24.9 MPG). However, it appears he’s not in the team’s plans going forward, at least for now.

Huff joins Cam Spencer and Scotty Pippen Jr. as the Grizzlies’ two-way players.

“I’m excited now. Good to be back here,” he said. “This is where my NBA career started … I’m a grown man now, playing with confidence. … I’m so much better than I used to be.”

Watanabe, who played 33 games for Memphis in his first two NBA seasons from 2018-20, was included in the three-team deal among the Grizzlies, Nets and Suns on Tuesday.

We have more on the Grizzlies:

• Memphis signed GG Jackson to a four-year contract on Friday. The last year of the deal – 2026/27 – will be a team option, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Jackson had been on a two-way contract.
• Jackson was not in uniform on Monday. He was held out by the club due to a violation of team rules, coach Taylor Jenkins told Jonah Dylan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The rookie second-rounder had scored in double figures in his last four games.
• Trey Jemison, who was added on a two-way deal on Friday, received a two-year contract, Scotto confirms (via Twitter).
• Two-way player Jacob Gilyard is closing in on his 50-game NBA limit for the season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Gilyard had only three games remaining entering Monday’s action. He is not eligible to be on the active roster once he reaches 50 games, unless he signs a standard contract.

Undrafted out of UAB in 2023, Jemison was with the Pelicans in training camp and began the regular season with the Birmingham Squadron in the G League before signing 10-day deals with Washington and Memphis.

Jemison appeared in six total games for those two clubs and has played a key role for the Grizzlies as of late, averaging 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 21.0 minutes per night across four contests (21.0 MPG). He was the starting center for the injury-plagued team on both Sunday and Tuesday.

Jemison’s hardship 10-day contract with the Grizzlies expired following Thursday’s game, but the club isn’t wasting any time bringing him back. Memphis opened up a two-way spot on Friday by promoting GG Jackson to the 15-man roster.

Jemison will join Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jacob Gilyard as the Grizzlies’ two-way players, and Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian tweets that his contract will have the same structure as Pippen’s, which suggests it’ll be a two-year deal.

Memphis now has a full roster, but may still be eligible to add extra bodies via the hardship provision. Like Jemison, Matthew Hurt and Tosan Evbuomwan were on 10-day hardship deals with the team that expired this week.

Coach Taylor Jenkins unveiled a makeshift starting lineup — his 30th of the season — consisting of Roddy, Kennard, G.G. Jackson, Trey Jemison and Jacob Gilyard. Jemison picked up two fouls in the game’s first minute, leaving 6’9″ forward Tosan Evbuomwan to match up with 7’3″ Kristaps Porzingis.

While the Grizzlies were clearly overmatched, some players are taking advantage of the opportunity. Cole singles out Jackson, who became the focus of the offense and scored 18 points on 24 shots, and Scotty Pippen Jr., who led the team with 19 points off the bench, as two who stood out.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

• Finding a power forward with size — preferably one who can shoot from the outside and contribute on both ends of the court — is the Mavericks‘ priority heading into Thursday’s trade deadline, multiple sources tell Tim Cato of The Athletic. He adds that the team could also use a backup center who can protect the rim, noting that Dallas is often forced to play zone against larger teams. Cato points out that rivals such as the Thunder and Jazz may be in the market for similar players and have more assets to offer than Dallas does.
• Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News also assesses the Mavericks‘ trade outlook, observing that the 2027 pick is the team’s only tradeable first-rounder and suggesting that Josh Green, Jaden Hardy or Olivier-Maxence Prosper would likely have to be included in any significant deal.
• As expected, Pelicans prospect Karlo Matkovic has left his KK Cedevita Olimpija team and is headed to New Orleans, according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Matkovic’s role with the organization hasn’t been defined publicly, but the Pelicans have one opening on their 15-man roster and Malcolm Hill‘s 10-day contract is about to expire. It’s also possible that Matkovic, a 6’11” power forward/center, will be signed to a G League deal and join the organization’s affiliate in Birmingham.
• Rockets coach Ime Udoka was disappointed after watching his offense sputter against one of the league’s best defenses in Sunday’s loss at Minnesota, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “The lack of reaction was not making the easy play, making the easy pass to a teammate, driving into a crowd, trying to play through double-teams,” Udoka said. “A four-point game at half, we talked about … all these open shots that we left on the table by driving to a crowd (against) the No. 1 team defensively, top five in packing the paint, protecting the paint, what they give up in the paint.”

9:52am: The Grizzlies are signing forward Tosan Evbuomwan and center Trey Jemison to 10-day contracts, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links).

Memphis has a full 15-man standard roster and is actually carrying a 16th man – Matthew Hurt – after having been granted a hardship exception. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Grizzlies have been granted two additional hardship exceptions, so no cuts will be necessary to accommodate the new additions to the roster.

As we explain in our glossary, an NBA team qualifies for a hardship exception when it has four players unavailable due to injury or illness, assuming those players have missed at least three consecutive games and are expected to remain sidelined for two or more weeks. The Grizzlies have been granted three hardship spots because they have a total of six injured players who meet the criteria: Ja Morant, Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia.

Evbuomwan, a rookie, went undrafted out of Princeton in 2023 and spent training camp with the Pistons before being designated as an affiliate player for Detroit’s G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise. In 29 games for the Cruise this season, he has averaged 15.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 34.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .559/.347/.731. He’ll get a chance to make his regular season NBA debut in Memphis.

Jemison, meanwhile, had been on a 10-day contract with the Wizards after spending most of the season with the Birmingham Squadron. The rookie big man, who went undrafted out of UAB last June, very briefly saw the floor in two games with Washington before his 10-day deal expired last night.

Well out of the play-in race in the Western Conference and with two of their most important players – Morant and Adams – sidelined for the rest of the season, the Grizzlies are using their hardship exceptions to take a look at some younger players rather than focusing on adding win-now veterans to a depleted roster.

If their deals are finalized today, Evbuomwan and Jemison will remain under contract through next Thursday (February 8). They’ll earn $64,343 apiece during their 10 days with the Grizzlies.