Former 2023 LA Role Player Signs With West Rival

Former Los Angeles Lakers late-season 2023 signing Shaquille Harrison has a new NBA home.

Sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the Memphis Grizzlies are inking the 6'4" combo guard to a hardship contract, along with free agent shooting guard Jaylen Nowell, most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the past four seasons.

With the ailing Grizzlies missing five hurt players for at least the next two weeks (to say noting of suspended All-Star point guard Ja Morant), the NBA permitted Memphis to add to its standard 15-man roster.

The six-year vet out of Tulsa boasts career averages of 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and a steal, during regular season stints with the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers. He signed on with Los Angeles on the last day of the 2022-23 regular season, and didn't register any stats until the playoffs. He appeared in eight contests for Los Angeles, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 assists a night.

Harrison played sparingly on the Lakers last spring. LA's playoff stint included a game-series romp over the higher-seeded Grizzlies, happier times for Memphis. At 3-11, the Grizzlies currently occupy the 14th seed in the Western Conference, and by the time Morant recovers they'll still be missing core big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, both on the shelf long-term with major lower-body injuries.