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2019 Offseason In Review: Memphis Grizzlies

October 4th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Signings:

Standard contracts:
- Jonas Valanciunas: Three years, $45MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Tyus Jones: Three years, $26.45MM. Signed using mid-level exception. Timberwolves didn’t match offer sheet.
- Marko Guduric: Two years, $5.38MM. Signed using bi-annual exception.
Two-way contracts:
- John Konchar
Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Matt Mooney: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).

Trades:

Acquired Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, the draft rights to Darius Bazley (No. 23 pick), and the Jazz’s 2020 first-round pick (1-7 and 15-30 protected) from the Jazz in exchange for Mike Conley.
Acquired Dwight Howard from the Wizards in exchange for C.J. Miles.
- Note: Howard was later bought out.
Acquired the draft rights to Brandon Clarke (No. 21 pick) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Darius Bazley (No. 23 pick) and the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick.
Acquired Andre Iguodala, the Warriors’ 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected), and cash ($2MM) from the Warriors in exchange for Julian Washburn (two-way).
Acquired Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton, the Suns’ 2020 second-round pick, and the Suns’ 2021 second-round pick (protected 36-60) from the Suns in exchange for Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter.
Acquired Miles Plumlee and Solomon Hill from the Hawks in exchange for Chandler Parsons.
Acquired the draft rights to Satnam Singh, the Trail Blazers’ 2021 second-round pick, and either the Mavericks’ or Heat’s 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable) from the Mavericks in exchange for Delon Wright (sign-and-trade).

Draft picks:

1-2: Ja Morant — Signed to rookie contract.
1-21: Brandon Clarke — Signed to rookie contract.

Departing players:

Avery Bradley (waived)
Jevon Carter
Mike Conley
Tyler Dorsey
Justin Holiday
C.J. Miles
Joakim Noah
Chandler Parsons
Julian Washburn (two-way)
Delon Wright
Tyler Zeller

Other offseason news:

Fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Hired Taylor Jenkins as head coach.
Hired Brad Jones, Niele Ivey, and other assistant coaches; Jones will be lead assistant.
Re-assigned head of basketball operations Chris Wallace to scouting department.
Promoted Jason Wexler to president of basketball/business operations; promoted Zach Kleiman to executive VP of basketball operations.
Hired Rich Cho as VP of basketball strategy and Glen Grunwald as senior advisor.
Promoted Tayshaun Prince to VP of basketball affairs.
Andre Iguodala not reporting to camp.
Josh Jackson entered diversion program to settle misdemeanor charge; will start season in G League.
De’Anthony Melton to miss 4-8 weeks due to stress reaction in back.

Salary cap situation:

Remained over the cap.
Carrying approximately $124.05MM in guaranteed salary.
Hard-capped.
$998K of bi-annual exception still available (used $2.63MM on Marko Guduric).
Seven traded player exceptions available; largest TPE ($4.74MM) expires 7/8/20.

Story of the summer:

It was the end of an era in Memphis in more ways than one in 2019. The Grizzlies completed a massive overhaul of their front office and coaching staff in the spring, ensuring that longtime decision-makers like Chris Wallace and John Hollinger were no longer calling the shots. In their place, Jason Wexler and Zach Kleiman are running the show, with help from veteran basketball executives like Rich Cho and Glen Grunwald.

The Grizzlies’ new-look management group completed a series of roster changes that Wallace’s group started earlier in the year. After trading Marc Gasol at last year’s deadline, Memphis sent Mike Conley to Utah this summer, fully severing ties with the squad that earned seven consecutive playoff berths from 2011-17. The longest-tenured Grizzlies players are now 2017 draftees Ivan Rabb and Dillon Brooks.

With long-term franchise cornerstones Gasol and Conley no longer in the picture, the Grizzlies are betting on Jaren Jackson Jr. and this year’s No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant as the new foundational pieces in Memphis. Both players are still just 20 years old, so the franchise will take a patient approach in building around them, and that patience was on display this offseason.

In addition to trading Conley, the Grizzlies also gained assets by taking on unwanted contracts belonging to Andre Iguodala and Josh Jackson, and by agreeing to sign-and-trade restricted free agent Delon Wright to Dallas. In total, those deals netted Memphis three first-round picks and several more second-rounders, setting the organization’s rebuild on the right track.

It’s still very early in the process, so it’s not clear yet how the Grizzlies’ current pieces will fit together or what other opportunities will arise as they wait for JJJ and Morant to develop into impact players. But the 2019 offseason represented a promising start to that process.

Key offseason losses:

Conley spent the first dozen years of his NBA career in Memphis, and was one of the league’s most productive – and underrated – point guards during that time. No 12-year veteran with zero All-Star appearances on his résumé has been more valuable than Conley since 2007, and 2018/19 was arguably his best year yet, as he established a new career-high in points per game (21.1), while also contributing 6.4 APG, a .364 3PT%, and strong leadership to a team entering a transition phase.

You could make the case that Morant, the Grizzlies’ new point guard of the future, would have benefited greatly from spending a year or two playing behind and alongside Conley, but it made sense that Memphis’ new management group wanted to cash in on the 31-year-old’s increased trade value this summer.

Besides Conley, the Grizzlies will be without a few other regular rotation players in 2019/20. Wright, Avery Bradley, Justin Holiday, C.J. Miles, and Joakim Noah all moved on after spending part of last season in Memphis. And, notably, the Chandler Parsons era came to an end.

The fondness that Grizzlies fans feel when they recall Conley’s tenure almost certainly won’t be extended to Parsons, who signed a maximum-salary contract with the franchise in 2016 and then appeared in just 95 games over the next three years. Health problems plagued Parsons throughout his time in Memphis, keeping him out of action more often than not and limiting his effectiveness when he was able to play — he averaged just 7.2 PPG on 39.3% shooting over the last three seasons.

Key offseason additions:

There were three players in the 2019 draft class widely considered to be in a top tier of their own, and the Grizzlies got one of those three when they selected Morant with the No. 2 overall pick. Zion Williamson would have been a more electric addition to the roster, and RJ Barrett wouldn’t have been a bad consolation prize, but you could make a strong case that Morant is the best possible partner for Jaren Jackson, the team’s 2018 lottery pick. The Grizzlies hope to see Morant and Jackson breaking down defenses in the pick and roll for years to come.

Since Morant may not be ready to shoulder a massive load at point guard out of the gate, the Grizzlies went out and added a young veteran to fortify the depth chart. Tyus Jones, who signed the lone offer sheet of 2019’s free agent period, only has four years of experience under his belt, but the 23-year-old could become the de facto “veteran” leader in the backcourt.

The Grizzlies also surrendered a future second-round pick to move up a couple spots in the first round and snag Brandon Clarke, a former Gonzaga forward who slipped a little on draft night. Clarke isn’t necessarily viewed as the kind of foundational building block that Morant and Jackson are, but if he delivers on his potential, he can become a long-term fixture in the rotation sooner rather than later.

Most of the rest of the Grizzlies’ offseason additions were rolls of the dice on young projects whose stocks have slipped a little (Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton, and Grayson Allen) or acquisitions of solid veterans who will find themselves on the trade block (Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill).

Outlook for 2019/20:

The Grizzlies aren’t as far along in their rebuilding process as teams like the Bulls, Suns, and Hawks, who will look to improve their records this season. In Memphis, the new front office remains in asset-gathering mode and has no illusions about competing for a playoff spot right away.

After winning 33 games last season, the Grizzlies likely won’t approach that total again in 2019/20. In fact, a bottom-five finish is a good bet. But if Morant and JJJ are improving and Memphis is in position to add another top young prospect to its core in the draft next spring, the plan will be on the right track.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southwest Notes: J. Jackson, Blossomgame, Curry

October 3rd, 2019 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies‘ decision to have Josh Jackson skip training camp and start the season in the G League could be viewed as an ominous sign for his future in Memphis. However, executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman praised the former No. 4 overall pick for his willingness to embrace the unconventional plan, as David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal notes.

“I would give him a lot of credit,” Kleiman said. “I think Josh recognized that this could be a great opportunity for him. When I sat down with him, he was open and candid and he said, ‘whatever you want me to do, I’m going to do.”

Meanwhile, new Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins conveyed a similar sentiment when discussing Jackson, who has underachieved on the court and has run into trouble off of it since being drafted in 2017.

“He’s willing to come into this situation and really grow, both on the court and off the court,” Jenkins said. “With the support we’re going to provide him, I know he’s excited about it. I’ve got high hopes for him to just take it one day at a time and focus on being the best version of Josh Jackson that he can be. We’ll see how it all plays out.”

As we wait to see whether Jackson can get his career on track in Memphis, let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Southwest…

Former second-round pick Jaron Blossomgame has impressed the Rockets so far in training camp, according to Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic, who says that multiple coaches have raved about the young forward. Blossomgame looks like a strong candidate for one of Houston’s open two-way contract slots, per Bijani.
Seth Curry, who played for the Mavericks in 2016/17 and spent the 2017/18 season with the team while he rehabbed a broken leg, cited familiarity with the organization as a key reason why he signed in Dallas this summer, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com.
The Spurs‘ offseason free agent and trade acquisitions – DeMarre Carroll and Trey Lyles – were modest, but the most significant addition of the team’s summer might be a healthy Dejounte Murray, says Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Murray appeared to be a breakout candidate a year ago before he torn his ACL.

Hollinger No Longer With Grizzlies; Anderson A Full Participant In Camp

October 1st, 2019 at 4:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Grizzlies executive John Hollinger has transitioned back into the media world, announcing this week that he has joined The Athletic. When Memphis shook up its front office in the spring, Hollinger was re-assigned to an advisory role, but he has apparently decided he’d rather return to his media roots — he formerly worked for ESPN, where he developed the Player Efficiency Rating (PER) stat.
After saying on Monday that he wasn’t ready to fully participate in training camp, Kyle Anderson reversed course and was a full go today, per head coach Taylor Jenkins (Twitter link via Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian). The Grizzlies‘ forward is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Josh Jackson Won’t Join Grizzlies For Camp, Will Start Season In G League

September 27th, 2019 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

Having already reached an agreement with Andre Iguodala that will allow the veteran swingman to skip training camp, the Grizzlies have apparently agreed to a similar arrangement with another one of their offseason trade acquisitions.

According to reports from Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com and Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), Josh Jackson won’t join the Grizzlies for training camp, and is expected to start the season in the G League.

Jackson’s stock has declined precipitously since he was selected fourth overall in the 2017 draft. In the wake of two up-and-down seasons on the court and some worrisome incidents off the court, the former Kansas forward was shipped from Phoenix to Memphis this offseason in what was essentially a salary dump.

Still, this is an unusual development. If the Grizzlies want to try to develop Jackson and rebuild his value, it seems like having him in camp would be a good first step. However, Wallace writes that Jackson’s camp and the team have agreed to let the 22-year-old rehab his reputation “through an undisclosed set of guidelines.” He’ll spend the next few weeks training and preparing to start the season with the Memphis Hustle.

Although Jackson’s future is cloudy, today’s update seems to point strongly toward the Grizzlies turning down his 2020/21 rookie scale option. The club has until October 31 to officially make a decision on that option, which would be worth $8.93MM.

Grizzlies Notes: Iguodala, Jackson, Allen

September 26th, 2019 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal believes the Grizzlies are handling the Andre Iguodala situation exactly right. Iguodala remains under contract with the team but won’t report to camp as the front office continues to weigh trade or buyout scenarios.
David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal examines where things stand with Josh Jackson and Grayson Allen, two former first-round picks acquired this summer by the Grizzlies. Memphis must make 2020/21 option decisions on both players by October 31, and Jackson’s option in particular is no lock to be exercised.

Grizzlies’ Morant Ready For Camp; Melton Out 4-8 Weeks

September 26th, 2019 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies issued a series of injury updates on their players this afternoon, most notably announcing that No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant will be ready to fully participate in training camp next week. Morant, who sat out Summer League, is recovered from the minor arthroscopic procedure he underwent on his right knee in June, according to the team.

The Grizzlies also confirmed that Kyle Anderson (thoracic outlet decompression surgery), Dillon Brooks (toe surgery), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (thigh bruise) are good to go for training camp. Brooks and Jackson were dubbed “fully recovered,” while Memphis said that Anderson is “progressing as expected” in his recovery.

It wasn’t all good news for the Grizzlies though. According to the club, newly-acquired guard De’Anthony Melton has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his back. The former Sun is undergoing off-loading and treatment to resolve the injury, and is expected to recover and resume basketball activities in about four to eight weeks.

Melton, the 46th overall pick in the 2018 draft, was traded from Houston to Phoenix a couple months after being drafted, then was dealt from the Suns to the Grizzlies earlier this summer. The 21-year-old averaged 5.0 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.7 RPG in 50 games (19.7 MPG) as a rookie and is expected to be Memphis’ third point guard behind Morant and Tyus Jones this season.

First though, he’ll have to get healthy. And with the Grizzlies’ opener less than four weeks away, it appears Melton will almost certainly miss the start of the regular season.

Iguodala Won’t Report To Grizzlies Training Camp

September 23rd, 2019 at 6:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies and Andre Iguodala have reached a mutual agreement that will allow Iguodala to skip training camp, Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian reports.

Iguodala will work out at a location of his choosing while the front office seeks the best trade offer for the veteran forward, Herrington adds. Iguodala will not make an appearance at the team’s annual Media Day, freeing him from the awkwardness of talking about his uncertain future.

His absence could stretch into the first couple of months of the season and he has braced for that possibility, Herrington adds. Many of the players signed as free agents this summer won’t become trade-eligible until December 15.

Iguodala said in an interview over the weekend that he and the Memphis front office were “on the same page.”

Iguodala has the highest salary on the roster at a shade below $17.2MM. He’s in the final year of his deal.

He was acquired in a salary dump by the cap-strapped Warriors, who sweetened the deal with a future first-round pick. Memphis believes it can obtain even more assets for Iguodala in another trade, which is why the club hasn’t shown interest in a buyout.

The 35-year-old Iguodala spent the last six years with the Warriors, mainly as their sixth man.

Iguodala is among 15 players with fully guaranteed contracts for the hard-capped Grizzlies, who are building around their last two lottery picks, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant.

Latest On Andre Iguodala

September 23rd, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Andre Iguodala hasn’t said much publicly since being sent from Golden State to Memphis at the start of July in a cost-cutting trade the Warriors had to make to accommodate the acquisition of D’Angelo Russell. However, he spoke to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area on Sunday, with Poole suggesting it was “evident” that Iguodala isn’t exactly excited to join the Grizzlies.

“We’ll see,” Iguodala said when asked about his situation. “OK, maybe I shouldn’t say we’ll see. But we’re trying to figure out things on both sides. They’re trying to figure out some things, and I’m trying to figure out some things. As of today, we’re on the same page. Camp opens the next week. We’ll see. We’re on the same page though.”

As Iguodala hints, it seems safe to assume that neither he nor Memphis expects him to still be on the team’s roster when the 2019/20 season ends. But it remains to be seen whether he’ll move on in a trade or a buyout — and when exactly it might happen. Reports have indicated that the Grizzlies aren’t eager to buy out the former Finals MVP, while his potential trade suitors appear willing to be patient.

Asked about the possibility of a buyout, Iguodala explained to Poole his thoughts on the concept.

“At this point, the only buyout that makes sense — if I’m speaking on someone else’s behalf, thinking as an agent — is you don’t leave money on the table,” Iguodala said. “Especially in this league. Because you’ll never get it back, no matter what people say. Negotiations are a tactic, so you’ve got to be careful how you approach it, or how you verbalize what you would do going forward. But you can’t leave anything on the table.”

If Iguodala is approaching buyout negotiations with that stance, the stalemate between him and Memphis makes some sense. As Sean Deveney of Heavy.com notes, the Grizzlies likely want Iguodala to give back a decent chunk of his $17MM+ salary if they’re going to give him a clear path to join a contender without getting an asset in return.

If the two sides can find common ground on a buyout agreement, expect the Clippers, Lakers, and Rockets to be in hot pursuit, according to Deveney, who names the Nuggets and Nets as potential dark horses. In the meantime, training camps will get underway very soon, and Iguodala will have to remember that he won’t be reporting to the Warriors this fall.

“I forget that I’m not on the same team,” Iguodala told Poole. “I was texting with Loon (Kevon Looney) and asking him what he was eating and talking about Jiu-Jitsu training. And then, it’s like, ‘Oh, I forgot. We’re not even on the same team anymore.’ I laugh about that all the time.”

Zach Randolph: “I Ain’t Retired Yet”

September 23rd, 2019 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Zach Randolph was technically under contract for most of the 2018/19 campaign, spending much of the season with the Kings before he was traded to Dallas at the deadline and was subsequently waived by the Mavericks. However, he didn’t appear in a single game all year.

Now more than a year removed from playing in a regular season contest, Randolph acknowledged to David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal that he has “a lot of stuff going on outside of basketball” and has considered transitioning to the next phase of his career.

“I’ve been working on some things, just really trying to see what I want to do with the next part of my life,” Randolph said. “I’ve been thinking about hanging it up and seeing what’s going on and what I want to do in the next phase of my life.”

However, the 38-year-old isn’t ready to officially call it a career at this time, telling Cobb, “I ain’t retired yet.”

While Randolph may not be ready to announce his retirement, it would be a little surprising if he returns to the NBA. The longtime power forward added a decent three-point shot to his arsenal in 2017/18, when he made 34.7% of 147 attempts for Sacramento, but his skill set otherwise isn’t an ideal fit for the modern NBA and there are only a small handful of players still in the league who are older than him.

If Randolph does decide to formally retire, he’d be a candidate to sign a one-day contract with Memphis to go out as a member of the Grizzlies. He spent eight of his 17 years in the NBA with the franchise, earning a pair of All-Star nods and an All-NBA spot during that stretch.

Southwest Notes: T. Jones, Rockets, Nowitzki, Ingram

September 20th, 2019 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

After carving out a role as a valuable reserve during his four years in Minnesota, Tyus Jones tells David Cobb of The Commercial Appeal that he’s looking forward to a fresh start with the Grizzlies. The Timberwolves elected not to match Jones’ three-year, $24MM offer sheet, sending him to a new organization for the first time in his NBA career.

“The thing that impresses me is everyone knows the goal, and that’s we’re one team trying to improve and trying to win a lot of games this year,” Jones said. “Everyone has the best interest of the guy next to them and everyone is looking out for the guy next to them. That’s what it takes to be a great team.”

Part of the point guard’s duties will be to serve as a mentor to rookie Ja Morant, the second selection in this year’s draft. It may seem like an unusual responsibility for a 23-year-old, but Jones virtually qualifies as an elder statesman on the rebuilding Grizzlies.

“It’s weird when you look at it in the grand picture, in the grand scheme of things,” Jones said. “I’m 23, but I’m one of the older guys on the team. We have at lot of younger guys just in terms of the NBA years. But that’s what you get when you come into the league at 19.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets‘ addition of Thabo Sefolosha could come at the cost of Ben McLemore or Michael Frazier, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. Even though GM Daryl Morey has said he has the freedom to pay the luxury tax, Nahmad cautions that he won’t do it to keep an average player. Nahmad expects Houston to either start the season with the minimum of 14 players on its roster or possibly keep 15 with the intention to make a salary-cutting trade by the February deadline (Twitter link).
Mark Cuban plans to talk with recently retired star Dirk Nowitzki about joining the Mavericks‘ ownership group, relays Dalton Trigg of DallasBasketball. “I’ll have the convo with Dirk in the future,” Cuban said. “There is a lot of things involved to make it all work. But it would be awesome.”
The Pelicans should take a cautious approach toward an extension for Brandon Ingram, contends Bryan Toporek of Forbes. Although Ingram has been a full participant in offseason workouts, Toporek believes his health concerns make him too much of a risk unless he agrees to a discount somewhere in the neighborhood of the three-year, $52MM deal that Caris LeVert accepted with the Nets.