With a depleted frontcourt, the Grizzlies tap rookie center Lawson Lovering for immediate help, offering a familiar, albeit temporary, solution to their size woes.
The Memphis Grizzlies are turning to a familiar internal option as they work through a severe frontcourt shortage, agreeing to a 10-day contract with rookie center Lawson Lovering, his agent Andrew Kelso of One Motive Sports confirmed.
The timing of the move reveals just how thin Memphis has become in the middle. Injuries and trades have stripped the roster of nearly all traditional size. Zach Edey remains sidelined with a left ankle stress reaction, Brandon Clarke is out with a right calf strain, and Santi Aldama is unavailable due to a right knee injury.
On top of that, the Grizzlies moved Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jock Landale as part of an eight-player trade with Utah earlier this month, leaving the team without a healthy center for consecutive games.
As a result, Memphis has been forced to make extreme lineup adjustments. Guards such as Jahmai Mashack and forwards Kyle Anderson and Olivier-Maxence Prosper have logged minutes at center, a situation that has tested the team defensively and on the glass.
However, signing Lovering gives the Grizzlies a legitimate interior body, even if the solution is temporary.
Lovering’s path to this opportunity has been a steady one. The 7-foot-1 center finished his collegiate career at Utah in 2025 before signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Memphis last September.
He appeared in four preseason games, averaging 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in limited minutes, before being waived ahead of the regular season. Since then, he has spent the year with the Memphis Hustle, where his development has quietly continued.
In 24 games with the Hustle, Lovering has averaged 7.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while playing over 27 minutes per night. His impact has been felt most consistently on the defensive end, where his size has translated into rim protection and rebounding reliability.
That presence was on display Sunday in a 121–119 Hustle win over the Osceola Magic, when Lovering pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds as Memphis controlled the glass 54–42 in a tightly contested game.
That performance helped him make the Grizzlies feel comfortable calling him up now. Lovering knows the organization, understands the system, and can step into minutes immediately without a prolonged adjustment period.
For a team simply trying to navigate the final stretch before the All-Star break, familiarity matters.
Memphis has two games remaining before the break, hosting the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 9 before traveling to face the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 11. With no guarantee that any of their injured bigs will return in that window, Lovering is expected to factor into the rotation right away.
The 10-day contract does not come with long-term assurances, but the opportunity is significant. Memphis is not asking Lovering to be a savior or a focal point. The assignment is simple and demanding at the same time: rebound, protect the rim, set solid screens, and absorb physical minutes against opposing frontcourts.
For a 22-year-old undrafted center, those responsibilities represent both a challenge and an opening.
With the Grizzlies stretched thin and searching for stability inside, Lovering has a chance to show he can hold his ground at the NBA level and make the most of a situation created by necessity.