Making the most out of their two-way contracts has become a Memphis Grizzlies staple, and this year is no different. The Grizzlies' big man situation has dwindled since March with Brandon Clarke, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey all questionable to begin next season due to injuries, but they picked one up by signing PJ Hall on a two-way contract.
The 6'10" former Clemson Tigers big man spent his summer with the Charlotte Hornets after spending his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets on a two-way contract last season. Hall produced 12 points and eight rebounds on 5-5 shooting in the Hornets' NBA Summer League Semifinals win, which was enough for Grizzlies' general manager Zach Kleiman to sign him to a deal ahead of their summer league championship win.
Although the Grizzlies had a two-way spot open, they chose to preserve that spot by waiving another player the fan base soured on this summer. This signals that the team is looking to balance their positional value at the two-way contract slots.
Adding a big was a necessity
Former University of Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack seems destined for the Grizzlies' final two-way spot after an impressive summer league performance following being selected with he last pick of the NBA Draft. To preserve the option of that and adding a big man, the team waived Zyon Pullin to make room to add PJ Hall and potentially Mashack.
After signing their other second-round draft pick, point guard Javon Small, to a two-way contract earlier this month, the Grizzlies need to sign a big man. They made a similar move last season when they waived Trey Jemison in favor of Jay Huff, who eventually earned a promotion to the Grizzlies' roster at the beginning of the season.
Following the offseason injuries to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey, the Grizzlies traded Huff and signed Jock Landale to solidify their depth. Reserve forward Brandon Clarke is expected to return from his season-ending knee injury at the start of next season, but the team needed another big man in the organization for depth purposes.
PJ Hall isn't flashy, but he got the job done, averaging 18.9 points and 11.8 rebounds in the G League last season for the Grand Rapids Gold. Adding him was a no-brainer for a roster void of bigs to compete once training camp comes around. Memphis is close to maxing out its roster for next season.