Grizzlies big issues strong statement on reports of being waived

Sunday evening, Damichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal reported that sources have informed him the Memphis Grizzlies are planning on waiving sophomore tweener big Kenneth Lofton Jr.

This decision by the franchise is almost certainly correlated with the impending return of superstar Ja Morant who, come Tuesday December 19, is slated to make his return from a 25-game league-issued suspension.

Without such a move, the Grizzlies would have 16 players attached to standard deals on the roster once the point guard returns, thus making the departure of Lofton somewhat of a necessity.

Though an official move has yet to be made, as the franchise hasn't made any announcement on the matter, the forward all but confirmed Cole's report with a strong and sentimental post on his personal X account (formerly Twitter).

Kenneth Lofton Jr. responds after report of being waived by Grizzlies

"Appreciate all the love from the city of Memphis along with the opportunity given from the grizzlies and the hustle all love 🖤"

- Kenneth Lofton on X

Per Cole's initial report, Lofton will not be with the team for their back-to-back, two-game road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, thus meaning his final time seeing in-game action as a member of the Grizzlies came on December 8 where he dropped 5 points, 2 assists, and a steal in just 4 minutes of play.

After going unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft, Lofton signed on with the Grizzlies on a two-way contract during that offseason and, with his efforts both on the varsity squad and in the G League, had his deal converted to a standard, multi-year agreement by April 8.

To much delight and excitement, the very next day he would go on to earn his first career start and proceeded to drop a mesmerizing 42 points and 14 rebounds performance while shooting 68.0 percent against the OKC Thunder.

As things currently stand, Lofton will be wrapping up his tenure in Memphis with averages of of 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds on 48.5 percent shooting from the floor.

While certainly an unfortunate turn of events for the big man, considering his solid skill set, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, coupled with his desirable age of 21 one should expect him to be scooped up by another club in the not-too-distant future.