Jacob Gilyard knows his last day with the Memphis Grizzlies under his current contract is coming soon, but he doesn’t know when. No matter how healthy Trey Jemison is, as it stands now, the center is not allowed to play in every remaining game this season.

Along with the injury hurdles the Grizzlies (20-36) have faced all season, two-way contract restrictions in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement have led to Memphis having to manage its way through the remainder of the season with key contributors.

“You're well aware of the rules going in, but obviously the craziness of this year has kind of put us in a spot where I wish it wasn't day-to-day, but definitely day-to-day at times and week-to-week at times," coach Taylor Jenkins said. "You have to kind of navigate the health of the roster — the limitations on two-way games, we've got 10-day guys coming in as well and trying to give them opportunities to get evaluated for potential two-way spots. Getting guys two-way spots to contract spots. It's great dialogue with (general manager) Zach (Kleinman) and our staff."

Jacob Gilyard's 'difficult' situation

According to the NBA’s CBA, no player on a two-way contract can be active for more than 50 games. This is the conflict Gilyard is facing.

Gilyard is the lone Grizzlies' two-way player from the beginning of the season who is still on his original deal. As a result, he has reached 48 actives games. After playing in 16 straight games with six starts in that stretch, Gilyard was inactive for matchups on Feb. 12 and Feb. 14.

The 5-foot-9 point guard is allowed to play in two more games. The Grizzlies signed Gilyard to a two-way deal near the end of last season after he went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.

"It's difficult," Gilyard told The Commercial Appeal after last week's win against the Milwaukee Bucks. "As a basketball player, you go through mental challenges."

"I didn't get the back-to-back, or I didn't get the game before," Gilyard added. "It's my first time playing in a week, so you kind of feel a little out of your groove. So it's a little challenging, but at the end of the day, I'm just here to cheer on my teammates and help the team in any way I can."

Trey Jemison, Scotty Pippen Jr.'s CBA limitation

Jemison’s situation is different. The CBA also states that if a player is signed to a two-way deal during the season, that player’s 50-game maximum is prorated through the remainder of the season. Since the 6-10 undrafted rookie was signed Feb. 9 to a two-way deal, he's allowed to play in 19 games from that date. After playing in three of the last four games, Jemison can be active for 16 of the final 26 matchups.

Before point guard Scotty Pippen Jr.'s back injury that will sideline him for at least the next three weeks, he was dealing with the same conflict. When he joined the Grizzlies in January, he was notified that he would be inactive for a certain amount games due to his restrictions.

After Pippen — who is in his second NBA season — played his first game with the Grizzlies, he scored in double figures in five of his next six appearances. Despite the fact that Pippen has averaged 10.5 points in eight games, he alternated playing and being inactive four times and missed five games total before being injured.

"It's kind of a juggling act," Jenkins said. "It’s hard to make those decisions, trying to preserve those dates. (Pippen's) understood it. I was very upfront with him when he came in, Zach and myself. I think when he came in, we were maybe on the 40-game mark, but he didn't have 40 games available, so it's very unfortunate. Maybe it's something that we look into as a league because I think he's earned the opportunity to play every single night. We just have to balance the games he actually has available to him.”

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What happens next?

The two-way contract situations are just another NBA anomaly that Memphis is dealing with during a trying season. Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane could help the guard rotation's depth with Pippen out and Gilyard's contract limitations. Bane appears to be closer to a return, but no timeline has been given for Bane or Smart's return.

Jemison and Pippen’s situations have more clarity, but as for Gilyard, anyone’s guess is what happens next. Once he reaches the 50-game threshold, he won’t be able to play another game with the Grizzlies unless he’s signed to a standard contract. If that were to be the case, Memphis would have to release one of its current players on the 15-man roster.

The Grizzlies could also sign another player to what would be an open two-way slot, but just like Jemison and Pippen, that player’s games will be limited.

"We'll see what happens when the time comes," Gilyard said. "As a basketball player, it's definitely on your mind. I try not to let it affect me. I think that's probably the worst part about being a point guard is you start to understand things and start to grasp things like that."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why NBA rules limit the availability of three key players for Grizzlies