The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly have strong interest in European-based guard T.J. Shorts who has history with new head coach Tuomas Iisalo.
The Grizzlies are willing to offer Shorts a guaranteed contract, but it likely wouldn’t be more than a minimum NBA deal, according to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. If Shorts decided to stay in Europe, he would reportedly get more than triple the money.
This leads to a tough decision for the 27-year-old American-born, North Macedonia-naturalized player, as he will have to decide if he values achieving his dream of playing in the NBA over more lucrative contracts elsewhere.
Shorts played under Iisalo as a member of the German team Telekom Baskets Bonn in 2022-23.
During that season together, they won the Basketball Champions League (BCL) title. Shorts was named the MVP of the BCL as well as the German domestic league and the Bundesliga.
After that season, Iisalo was hired by Paris Basketball, and Shorts followed him there.
In 37 games this season playing for Paris Basketball in Europe’s top league, the EuroLeague, Shorts averaged 19 points, 7.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. He was also named to the EuroLeague First Team.
Shorts’ strong relationship with Iisalo is evident, as he’s previously discussed how much of an impact Iisalo has had on him as a player.
“We have to go back to last season when he recruited me,” Shorts said about Iisalo during an interview with BeBasket (h/t BasketNews). “He very quickly gave me his trust and allowed me to be myself on the court. This is the main reason why I followed him here, knowing that Paris would have big ambitions this year and the following one, with the EuroLeague in their sights.
“He talks to me a lot during meetings and gives me a lot of instructions. And it’s the same off the court. He makes a lot of videos and gives me a lot of advice, even by text. He may also forward articles to me. That’s what he did recently, sending me one on Tyrese Haliburton. Clearly, he tries by all means to help me progress, and that is priceless. He’s a bit like a mentor to me. He has a lot of knowledge, and I try to take advantage of it as much as possible.”
The reunion of the two makes sense, as Shorts could serve as another backcourt option to help fill in when necessary for star point guard Ja Morant, as Morant has only played a max of 67 games in a season so far in his six-year career.
Luke Kennard, who was a member of the team’s rotation this season while playing 65 games (11 starts), is also an unrestricted free agent.
The question does arise about Shorts’ small stature, as he’s listed at 5-foot-9, but Shorts has been productive everywhere he has been.
The Grizzlies have also showed a willingness to sign small point guards, as 5-foot-8 Yuki Kawamura just spent this season on a two-way contract with the team.
