NBA Rumors: After FIBA Success, Memphis Grizzlies Want Australian Forward Joe Ingles

By Don Pittman
Joe Ingles
Australian Forward Joe Ingles takes it to the hoop in FIBA World Cup action. Reuters

Australian forward Joe Ingles is making the most of his time on the world's stage at the FIBA world cup in Spain, as he tries to play his way into the NBA.

After going undrafted in 2009, Ingles signed with ACB Spanish league to play for Granada.  The following year, he was transferred from Granada to Barcelona, where he spent the next two-plus seasons. In 2013-14, he moved to the Israeli League and played for Maccabi Tel Aviv.  Since playing in Israel, Ingles has imporved his 3-point shooting so he can now play the stretch 4 position really well,  and he has solid rebounding and assists number to go with it.

Marc Stein from ESPN is calling Ingles chances to land in the NBA a done deal, as many teams are looking for a player that can play the forward position the way does.  

"According to NBA front-office sources, Ingles has emerged as a virtual lock to land in the league this coming season -- likely on a guaranteed deal -- on the strength of his strong play here at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup," Stein writes.

Ingles is only 26 years old, and is garnering attention from a "handful" of teams, according to ESPN sources.  

The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly interested in the 6'8' outside specialist, which makes sense because the 76ers' new coach Brett Brown has coached Ingles before on the Australian national team.   

The Memphis Grizzlies are also interested in Ingles. Ingles played at Barcelona with Grizzlies star center Marc Gasol, and the two became friends and played well together.

Ingles has led Australia to a 2-1 record so far in FIBA action. He dropped 18 points on Lithuania on Tuesday, helping his team to pull off an upset victory. The Aussies are almost a guarantee to move on to the elimination rounds with two games left against Mexico on Wednesday, and Angola on Thursday. They only need to win one of those games to move on. In three games, he's averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 rebounds while making 70.4 percent of his shots.

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