Ivan

Rabb

He was on a two-way deal with the team, but he didn’t suit up for a single game.

With Taj Gibson (calf) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) questionable for the season opener, the Knicks apparently felt they needed to bring in some more depth at the five-spot. Rabb will give them that, but he’s not a viable target in fantasy hoops.

The Grizz needed to get down to 15 players, so they part ways with bigs Rabb and Plumlee. Rabb appeared in 85 games for the Grizz over his two seasons in Memphis, averaging 5.7 points in 14.6 minutes per contest.

Memphis was initially due to decide on Rabb’s $1.6 million salary this week, but now they’ll get to evaluated him during training camp and the preseason. The former No. 35 pick seemed to plateau last season with similar production and playing time, but his offensive efficiency dipped (54.7% FGs, 71.0% FTs on limited attempts). Even if he makes the roster, his fantasy value is nonexistent in a rotation that includes Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke, Jonas Valanciunas and Miles Plumlee.

No surgery will be required to address this injury, and he has plenty of time to get himself ready for training camp. JV has a player option worth roughly $17.6 million for the 2019-20 season, but after his strong play in Memphis, there’s a chance he’ll choose to hit the open market this summer to see if he can get a better, long-term deal. Ivan Rabb could close out the year as the starting five-man in Memphis with Joakim Noah (knee) also banged up, putting him on the radar in deep leagues.

Noah did have some nice moments during his time in Memphis, so maybe he’ll be able to earn a minimum level deal next year. Tyler Zeller got the start on Tuesday, and that could again be the case tonight, with Ivan Rabb serving as his primary backup.

Based on the game notes, the Grizzlies will be going with a starting five featuring Delon Wright, Justin Holiday, Tyler Dorsey, Brunco Caboclo and Zeller tonight, with Ivan Rabb running with the second unit. It’s not an ideal matchup for Zeller, so it’s tough to view him as anything more than a low-end punt play in daily leagues.

We wouldn’t anticipate any of these guys suiting up for Memphis’ regular-season finale on Wednesday vs. the Warriors, either, so Delon Wright, Tyler Dorsey, Justin Holiday and Ivan Rabb figure to be logging heavy minutes over the Grizzlies’ final two games.

The Grizzlies only have two games left this season, and those two will be a back-to-back set, so there’s a decent chance we’ve already seen the last of Conley and Noah. Delon Wright and Ivan Rabb should be looking at another start tonight, and there will be more opportunity for Justin Holiday and Tyler Dorsey.

This will be Noah’s sixth straight game on the shelf, and it seems likely he won’t play again this season. Ivan Rabb is coming off a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, and will likely draw another start at center.