Watanabe (personal) is not expected to pick up his $2.6 million player option this offseason and will head to the B.League in Japan, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
Watanabe announced the news during an Instagram Live session. Assuming he does not ultimately return to the NBA, the six-year veteran will bookend his career with stints in Memphis. Although, he played only five games for the Grizzlies this year, as most of his season was spent in Phoenix. His most productive tenure came with the Nets during the 2022-23 season, when the forward averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 triples across 16.0 minutes per game.