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Report: Grizzlies Want to Keep Olivier-Maxence Prosper Through Roster Crunch
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- Report: Grizzlies Want to Keep Olivier-Maxence Prosper Through Roster Crunch
(Petre Thomas-Imagn Images)
The Memphis Grizzlies want to retain forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper as they work to trim the roster, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported Friday.
Prosper appeared in 53 games last season, his first in Memphis, and started 24 of them. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 18.6 minutes while shooting 54.9% from the field, 40.5% from 3-point range, and 75.4% from the free-throw line.
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Following the All-Star break, Prosper averaged 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 24.4 minutes per game. He scored a career-high 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting in a 119-109 defeat against the Houston Rockets , also contributing 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 29 minutes.
Zach Edey 's offseason surgery on his left ankle delayed his return until Nov. 15. However, on Dec. 7, during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers , he experienced a stress reaction in the same ankle, ending his season after just 11 games. Following his injury, Memphis often played with a smaller lineup, with Prosper, who is 6-foot-7, handling matchups against opposing centers. The Grizzlies finished 27th in defensive rating, allowing 112.4 points per 100 possessions.
Prosper shot 40.5% from 3-point range last season against a career mark of 34.8%. Over a nine-game stretch late in the year, he made 1.9 3-pointers a game and shot 43.6% from beyond the arc.
Memphis exercised Prosper's club option for the upcoming season on June 30, the same day it picked up GG Jackson II's option. Prosper is owed $2,497,812 and can reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027.
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Sacramento took Prosper 24th overall in 2023. His rights went to Dallas on draft night. He played 92 games over two seasons with the Mavericks, five of them starts, and averaged 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.0 minutes. Dallas waived him via the stretch provision on Aug. 29, 2025, to create room under its hard cap.
Memphis signed him to a two-way contract on Sept. 4, 2025. The conversion to a two-year standard deal came on March 4, 2026.
Prosper was born in Montreal and played two seasons at Marquette after beginning his college career at Clemson. During the 2023-24 season, he started all 25 of his appearances with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League and averaged 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 32.9 minutes.
Isaiah Stewart arrived from the Detroit Pistons in this month's six-team trade. Quinten Post signed a three-year, $30 million offer sheet that the Golden State Warriors declined to match . Memphis picked up Edey's rookie scale option for the upcoming season last October. Cameron Boozer , the third overall pick in June's draft, is under contract. So is Karim Lopez, taken 21st overall. Taylor Hendricks and GG Jackson II are also under contract at forward.
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The Grizzlies have 19 players on standard contracts and can carry 15 once the regular season starts. Richie Saunders , the 32nd overall pick, is unsigned and recovering from a torn ACL.
Scotto reported that guards D'Angelo Russell and AJ Johnson are not expected to be with Memphis when the season opens, and that veteran forward Taj Gibson , whose $3.82 million salary for the upcoming season is non-guaranteed, is a candidate to be waived.
Prosper turned 24 on July 3.
