The Grizzlies are signing big man Carson Cooper to a two-way deal after he went unselected in the 2026 draft, Billy Reinhardt reports (Twitter link).

Cooper is a four-year player out of Michigan State. After only starting eight games in his first three seasons, the 6’11” center started all 35 games for the Spartans, averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game. It was his first season averaging more than 5.0 points per game.

While Cooper is limited offensively, he is a strong athlete with decent touch around the basket and has shown good instincts and vision as a passer. His defense is hit or miss, but he moves well and plays with a toughness that the Grizzlies seem to value in the players they’ve added over the last several years. He only shot five threes this season, hitting two of them, but he’s a career 72.6% free throw shooter, having improved every season.

The Grizzlies added a considerable amount of size during the 2026 Draft, selecting physical forwards Cameron Boozer and Karim Lopez and trading for the imposing Isaiah Stewart as a backup center for Zach Edey. Cooper adds another player with an interesting combination of size and skill to the group.

He was unranked in Jeremy Woo’s final big board for ESPN, and ranked 86th in Sam Vecenie’s draft guide for The Athletic (subscriber link).