Grizzlies sign No. 32 pick Richie Saunders to a two-way contract after ACL rehab, waive Carson Cooper

The Memphis Grizzlies signed No. 32 pick Richie Saunders to a two-way contract on Saturday and waived rookie center Carson Cooper to open the spot. The move brings the former BYU guard onto an NBA contract for the first time, nine months after he tore his ACL, and lets him start practicing with the Grizzlies as his rehab moves into on-court work.

The @memgrizz today announced the team signed Richie Saunders to a two-way contract and waived Carson Cooper. pic.twitter.com/VYXdvsiJdt
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) November 7, 2026

Memphis made both moves official at about 12:55 p.m. ET Saturday (7:55 p.m. Cairo time), roughly 40 minutes after Shams Charania first reported the agreement, citing Saunders’ agents Andy Shiffman and Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports.

Why Saunders is on a two-way deal

A player taken as high as 32nd usually signs a three- or four-year standard contract with guaranteed money. Saunders’ knee changed that. He opened the season on the training camp roster of the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, on a G League contract, with Memphis keeping his NBA draft rights, as our October report on his G League start explained.

He has now been cleared to increase his on-court activity, and the two-way contract is what makes him a full member of the NBA practice group. There is no timeline yet for his first game, and his first live action is likely to come with the Hustle once his conditioning allows it.

Saunders is 25 and played four seasons at BYU, making All-Big 12 teams as a junior and as a senior.
In 25 games last season he averaged 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals, shooting 48.9% from the field, 37.6% from three and 81.7% at the line.
The ACL tear in February ended his college career.
Two-way players can be active for up to 50 NBA regular-season games and spend the rest of their time in the G League.

Who lost the spot

Cooper, a rookie center, signed a two-year two-way contract with Memphis in late September after going undrafted out of Michigan State. Waiving him leaves Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack in the other two two-way slots alongside Saunders. Any team can claim Cooper during the 48-hour waiver period; if he goes unclaimed, he becomes a free agent.

What comes next

The two-way deal may not be the end point. The Grizzlies are about $39.3 million below the luxury tax line despite carrying roughly $40.6 million in dead money, so they have the financial room to convert Saunders to a standard multiyear contract later in the season. They would first need to open a spot on the 15-man roster, and the Feb. 11 trade deadline is the most natural moment for that.

Elsewhere: Agbaji moves to the Lakers’ affiliate

In a G League deal on Saturday, the Coachella Valley Lakers acquired Ochai Agbaji from Austin, the San Antonio Spurs’ affiliate, which had claimed him off G League waivers a day earlier. Coachella Valley sent the returning player rights to guard Jamaree Bouyea and a 2028 G League first-round pick to Austin. Agbaji, a former No. 14 pick, is not on an NBA contract, but he is now one call-up away from the Los Angeles Lakers system.