Report: Grizzlies scratch Christopher from camp roster, add Air Force vet Nwaelele

The Memphis Grizzlies are tweaking their training camp roster just a few days before things get underway.

Patrick Christopher will no longer be heading to camp with the team, according to a report from Marc Stein of ESPN. He'll be replaced by Dan Nwaelele, an Air Force veteran who put his basketball career on hold in 2008 when he was deployed to Afghanistan.

Nwaelele went undrafted as a senior in 2007 and appeared at summer league with the San Antonio Spurs in 2008. He resumed his NBA career in 2012, when he joined the D-League and, later, the Spurs for training camp. In 76 games over two D-League seasons, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, shooting 40.9 percent on threes.

You can check out an excellent 2012 interview with Nwaelele here.

Christopher, meanwhile, was reportedly added to the roster on a camp deal last week. Undrafted out of California in 2010, he was in camp with the Grizzlies last year, too, and later got a brief look with the Utah Jazz. In four games, he scored six points and grabbed six rebounds while shooting 3-of-12 from the floor.

The Grizzlies have 14 guaranteed contracts on their books and five players on non-guaranteed deals ostensibly fighting for the 15th roster spot. But they were one of three teams to enter the 2014-15 season with an open roster spot, so it's conceivable that none of the players without guarantees make the team.