Before the 2024/25 season began last fall, the Grizzlies declined to exercise their fourth-year team option on forward Jake LaRavia. That 2025/26 option was worth $5,163,127.
Because his option was declined, LaRavia became eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2025 instead of restricted free agency in 2026. It also made his free agency more complicated than it is for most players — the team he ended the season with cannot offer him a starting salary that exceeds the declined option.
With those factors in mind, the Grizzlies wound up trading LaRavia to Sacramento ahead of February’s deadline, even though he was having his most productive campaign as a pro.
At his end-of-season press conference on Sunday, executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman admitted he made a “mistake” by turning down that option, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“I think we should’ve picked up Jake LaRavia’s team option,” Kleiman said. “The mistake was there. … I think Jake could’ve helped us down the stretch.”
According to Cole (Twitter link), Kleiman explained that he thought Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson would be able to replace LaRavia in the rotation. Both players dealt with injuries in the first few months of the season and returned to action before the deadline.
“I probably overweighted just how much of a burden they would have been able to put on in a playoff push,” Kleiman said.
Memphis was eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday after being swept in its first-round series with Oklahoma City.
It would be nice if another GM owned up to his mistakes *cough* Nico *cough*
He finally did half-heartedly, and it somehow was the 30th instance of making things worth. By betraying he didn’t know the Mavs fanbase whatsoever. No redeemable path for him
Does anyone think Nico gets another FO job ever once he is eventually fired? I dont even know if Nike would take him back after the reputational hit he has taken…
I doubt he makes it through the offseason with a job
He’s been working for the lakers hasn’t he?
lol yeah he’s been a lakers plant in the Mavs organization this whole time
Picking up an option and trading an All-NBA are totally the same.
Luckily for the Grizzlies they have spending money this offseason. Only Aldama is their resigning that is needed.
Biggest mistake was drafting LaRavia in the first place. I never caught his apology for that. Letting Dillon Brooks go is the mistake that set this franchise back a few yrs tho
If anything the Grizzlies got out from that albatross. In his time in Memphis, his efficiency was far below the average, and his value over replacement player was one of the lowest, if not THE lowest for active players. He’s been a small part of the Rockets success, admittedly – but Memphis was wise to let him walk.
would you have been happy to give him the contact that Houston gave him @sankara?
You don’t see GM’s admit to being wrong very often. Maybe 10+ years later, but not less than 1 year later.
It’s rarely a good idea to decline a RSC option (particularly for a guy drafted that low). But Kleiman’s worst move, as it relates to MEM’s finish to the season, was firing his HC with a few weeks left in the year. That’s a move that can ONLY be about him and the HC, not the organization or the team. That’s the move that may cause him to lose the confidence of ownership and/or the players, and, eventually, his job. Nothing regarding late FRP is going to cost a FO guy a job.