The Memphis Grizzlies have made another roster move. They have signed Julian Washburn to a two-way contract while waiving Jarnell Stokes to make room for him.
Jarnell Stokes second stint with the Memphis Grizzlies is already coming to an end. The team waived him to get a two-way contract available to sign Julian Washburn.
Grizzlies are signing Julian Washburn to a two-way contract and releasing Jarnell Stokes. Move gives Grizzlies another wing option with Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson sidelined by injuries. Washburn was a member of the Austin Spurs' G-League title team last season.
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) January 15, 2019
Washburn has never played in an NBA game but that should change in the coming weeks. Whether he will have a big role is still very much uncertain but he should at least get a few minutes here and there since this team has very few wing players still available.
He has played some overseas as well as spending a lot of time in the G-League, including winning a G-League championship in 2018 with the Austin Spurs.
So far this season with Austin he is averaging 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds through the 23 games he has played in. He is shooting 44% from the field and 38% from three-point range.
He is going to provide this team with another body on the wing as they look to remain competitive in the western conference.
When the Grizzlies signed Stokes they didn’t plan for his tenure to be this short but when injuries happen to two key guys on the wing they didn’t have much of an option.
With Dillon Brooks‘ season over and Kyle Anderson out for the next couple of weeks, they needed to make a move. This isn’t a big impact move by any means but it gives them another guy who can hopefully get up to speed quickly and give this team a few minutes a night if need be.
Justin Holiday has been a big disappointment for a variety of reasons but that is part of the reason Memphis felt they needed to make a move. Washburn is a guy who will come in and contribute if given the chance.
In college, he was a four-time starter at UTEP and averaged double digits in scoring all four seasons. He was a very consistent player there and we can expect that same consistency if he gets a chance to play with the Grizzlies.
The majority of his time still very well could be with the Memphis Hustle but if the losing continues they could make him a part of the rotation to see what he can bring to the table.
He is 27 years old but he still has a long career ahead of him and maybe that could be in Memphis as a member of the Grizzlies.