The Memphis Grizzlies ended up having an eventful day on July 5 as the rest of the country recovered from a Friday Fourth of July celebration.
First, the Grizzlies traded center Jay Huff to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday evening. Huff was a bit of a breakout player for Memphis in 2024-25, shining when he had to step into an unexpected rotation role 30 games into the season. It took them very little time to find Huff's replacement.
A few minutes after reporting the initial trade ESPN's Shams Charania reported Memphis had signed free agent center Jock Landale. Landale will join Jaren Jackson Jr., Santi Aldama, and Zach Edey in the Grizzlies' center rotation as the franchise enters a significant campaign.
The Grizzlies were one of the top teams in the West in the first half of the year but collapsed in the second half and fired head coach Taylor Jenkins before the end of the year. Memphis went on to lose to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Memphis heads into next season with rookie head coach Tuomas Iisalo at the helm and without Desmond Bane, who was traded to the Orlando Magic earlier this offseason.
Landale, 29, spent the last two years with the Houston Rockets. He averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game, appearing in 42 contests during the Rockets' resurgent season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Grizzlies Add Former Rockets Center Following Trade With Pacers.
