NBA contract update: Memphis Grizzlies reward rising Canadian forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper with a new two-year contract

On Wednesday, the Memphis Grizzlies showed their love for Canadians. Olivier-Maxence Prosper of Montreal signed a two-year deal with the team on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Previously, Prosper was under a two-way contract.Memphis won't need to make a corresponding roster move since Rayan Rupert's 10-day contract expired on Tuesday night. It created a vacancy on the regular roster. Prosper played in Dallas for his first two NBA seasons before being waived in August after being a cap casualty in the previous offseason.

Memphis Grizzlies convert Olivier-Maxence Prosper’s two-way deal into a two-year contract

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Grizzlies are moving forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper from his two-way contract to their 15-man roster.

This happened after agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta informed him that the two parties had reached an agreement on a new two-year contract.Charania wrote on X:“The Memphis Grizzlies are signing two-way forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper on a new two-year contract, Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta of Life Sports Agency tell ESPN. Prosper has averaged 7.6 points and 15.8 minutes in 36 games for the Grizzlies this season..”

In his first season with Memphis, the 23-year-old has made 36 appearances, averaging 7.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He is draining 38.9% of his three-point attempts while shooting 54.1% from the field.

Prosper, a 2023 first-round draft selection, played his first two NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. However, he never scored more than 3.9 points per game or shooting above 40.2% from the field. He is now committed to retooling the Grizzlies team alongside fellow Canadians Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke.In August, the Mavericks waived Prosper, the 24th overall pick in the 2023 draft, in order to make room below their hard cap for Dante Exum's re-signing. Nevertheless, Prosper signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies less than a week after the Mavs waived him.On Tuesday, Prosper played in his 45th game, bringing his total number of two-way games to only five. The Grizzlies can remove that games-played cap by promoting him to a regular contract, which will allow him to play for the rest of the season.

Additionally, it will make him eligible for the postseason, though it won't really matter because Memphis is now five games out of a play-in spot.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper earns promotion after strong recent performances

Propser had a two-way contract before, but despite the team's numerous injuries, the forward has shown promise in recent games. He has averaged 11.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.8 three-pointers in 23.0 minutes per game over the past five games.During the first half of the season, the forward didn't play much in the NBA, but in recent weeks, he has established himself as a regular in the rotation. Prosper has averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in 24.7 minutes per game over 10 games since earning his first start of the season on February 6.By Wednesday's deadline for two-way signings, the Grizzlies will be in a position to backfill Prosper's two-way slot with a newcomer if they convert him to the 15-man roster by the end of the day.