During a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Marc Stein, Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph made it clear that he’d like to remain in Memphis until he decides to retire:
“I’d like to be here. I’d like to retire here. You never know. If I’ve got to make some sacrifices to be here, I would. I still can play. I can still help a team out. I want to win a championship. I’ve made all the money in the world. I just want to win. I don’t know yet [about opting in or opting out], but Memphis is my home. If they trade me tomorrow, I’m here. I just bought a new house. My daughters go to school [in Memphis]. That’s my home.”
Randolph will make $18.24MM this season and has a player option for 2014/15 worth $16.94MM. The Grizzlies will have a handful of important decisions to make in the near future, especially with Ed Davis slated to become a restricted free agent in July and Marc Gasol due for a new contract in the summer of 2015. Memphis currently has three guaranteed contracts on their books for 2015/16 totaling about $21MM, so you’d have to wonder if/how much they’d be willing to spend to accommodate the 32-year-old Randolph’s desire to stay as well as how many years they’d offer.