With a fully healthy roster (including two-way players) for the first time in over three years, the Memphis Grizzlies only had one question remaining as it pertained to their roster. Recently acquired guard Johnny Davis never reported to the team and had been listed as "Not with team" on their Status Report for each of their four games after the trade.
Well, his status with the team was confirmed after the Grizzlies brought back Lamar Stevens on a 10-day contract just minutes before the opening tipoff to their game against the Indiana Pacers tonight. Roughly 10 minutes after that announcement, ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania confirmed the Grizzlies' plan to release Johnny Davis.
The Grizzlies are releasing Johnny Davis to create roster space, sources said. Davis, the No. 10 pick in 2022, is expected to receive some interest as a free agent. https://t.co/XcZ3Z3KTzv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025
The former 10th overall draft pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards was considered a buyout candidate when he was acquired by the Grizzlies. While the acquisition of Marvin Bagley III brought the team needed frontcourt depth, Davis' disappointing career to this point was always considered financial reasons for the Grizzlies acquiring him.
As for Lamar Stevens, the Grizzlies added a veteran forward who can provide depth for the team's stretch run, and who is familiar with the team and staff after his tenure last season.
Getting to know Lamar Stevens
Calling Lamar Stevens a veteran is misleading considering his age (27) and time in the league (four years) but he carries himself like an experienced veteran whom Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum spoke highly of when he was his teammate last season. After signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2020, Stevens worked his way up the ladder from a two-way contract to a guaranteed roster spot in February 2021.
After operating as a back-end rotational player for three seasons averaging 16 minutes per game during his 165 games played with the Cavaliers, Stevens was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2023. He eventually joined the Boston Celtics after being waived from the Spurs and appeared in 19 of 50 games with the team.
He was then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline for Xavier Tillman Sr. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 19 games with the Grizzlies last season and provided great value and a spark for a team that was ravaged by injuries. While it felt like there was a good chance the team would re-sign him last offseason, they decided to utilize their three draft picks and two-way prospects to fill up their roster.
Now, after shedding their salary at the trade deadline, the Grizzlies are presenting Stevens with another opportunity after his stint in the G League with the Detroit Pistons affiliate, the Motor City Cruise. He will have 10 days to prove his worth as a veteran spark plug to the current Memphis Grizzlies roster.