Grizzlies Re-Sign Lucas Williamson To Hardship Deal

Because he’s being signed using a hardship exception, Williamson’s deal is considered to be a 10-day contract, though it’ll only actually cover the last three days (two games) of the regular season before expiring. He’ll earn $21,946, a prorated portion of the usual 10-day salary for a rookie.

A G League veteran who spent this season playing for the Memphis Hustle and Windy City Bulls prior to his call-up, Williamson appeared in five games during his first 10 days with the Grizzlies, averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.2 minutes per contest. The 27-year-old has logged at least 36 minutes in each of his past three outings for a banged-up Memphis squad.

Williamson is one of four Grizzlies players signed to a hardship contract to close the regular season. The team is permitted to comfortably exceed the usual 15-man limit because it has seven total players who have missed at least three consecutive games and have been ruled out for the season. Dariq Whitehead, Toby Okani, and Adama Bal are also on 10-day deals that will expire on Sunday night, following Memphis’ regular season finale.

The Grizzlies are in full-on tank mode as the regular season winds down, having lost 19 of their past 21 games. Leaning heavily on their four late-season hardship additions has helped that cause — Williamson’s individual net rating is the best of the bunch at minus-15.4, while Whitehead’s is the worst at minus-29.4.