- The Grizzlies will retire No. 11 in honor of longtime franchise point guard Mike Conley, per an official release from team owner Robert J. Pera.
JULY 7: The trade is official, the Hawks announced in a press release.
JULY 3: The Grizzlies and Hawks have agreed to a trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Memphis will send Chandler Parsons to Atlanta in exchange for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee.
Like the Hawks’ trade earlier this offseason of Kent Bazemore for Evan Turner, this deal will be a swap of expiring contracts and will be a virtual wash in terms of salary. Unlike that Bazemore/Turner trade though, it’s not clear if any of the players involved in this deal will actually see regular playing time in 2019/20.
Parsons, who will earn about $25.1MM next season, signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Grizzlies during the summer of 2016, but battled injuries and failed to make an impact for the team during his three seasons in Memphis. In total, he appeared in just 95 games over three years, averaging 7.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG with a .393/.341/.779 shooting line.
Parsons and the Grizzlies had a particularly tumultuous year in 2018/19, with Parsons claiming in December that he was healthy and that the team was refusing to play him. He later took a leave of absence from the club.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a buyout this summer, so Memphis will send Parsons to Atlanta, removing a potential distraction from the roster. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), the mid-sized contracts of Plumlee and Hill will be easier for the Grizzlies to move in subsequent deals.
It remains to be seen if the Hawks believe Parsons has the ability to be an on-court contributor for them in 2019/20. Even if they don’t plan to play (or keep) him, there are a couple potential benefits for Atlanta. Moving two contracts for one will open up a roster spot, and Parsons’ salary is worth slightly less than the combined total of the salaries for Plumlee ($12.5MM) and Hill ($12.76MM).
A pair of separate trades will need to be completed before this one can be finalized. Hill is going from New Orleans to Atlanta in a trade involving the No. 4 pick, which in turn is part of the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis trade. The Pelicans/Lakers swap will need to be made official first, followed by the Pelicans/Hawks deal, then the Hawks/Grizzlies trade.
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JULY 7: The trade is official, the Suns announced in a press release.
JULY 3: The Grizzlies and Suns have agreed to a trade that will send newly-acquired Memphis sharpshooter Kyle Korver to Phoenix along with Jevon Carter, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the Grizzlies will receive Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton, a 2020 second-round pick, and a conditional 2021 second-round pick in the deal.
That 2021 Suns second-rounder will only change hands if it falls between 31-35, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. Brooklyn will receive it if it lands between 36-60.
Because Korver is part of the Mike Conley trade with Utah that hasn’t yet been completed, this deal can’t be made official until after the one is finalized. Once both deals are done, the Grizzlies will pick up a former No. 4 overall pick (Jackson), as well as a second-rounder from last year’s draft (Melton), along with at least one future second-round pick.
In two NBA seasons, Jackson has been inconsistent for the Suns, averaging 12.3 PPG and 4.5 RPG but shooting just .415/.294/.650 in 156 total contests (25.3 MPG). He has also faced questions about his maturity and off-court behavior.
However, he’s still just 22 years old, so the Grizzlies will get the opportunity to see if they can continue to develop him and help him reach his ceiling. They’ll also have to decide by the end of October whether to pick up $8.9MM option for 2020/21 — at this point, I’d be surprised if they do.
Melton, the 46th overall pick in 2018’s draft, is another intriguing roll of the dice for Memphis, one the team has long had its eye on, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The former USC Trojan is considered a strong defender, and started 31 games for the Suns in his rookie season, averaging 5.0 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in 50 total contests.
As for the Suns’ side, the move looks like it’s primarily designed to clear the cap room necessary to complete their other reported moves this week, including Ricky Rubio‘s three-year, $51MM deal. They’ll also be able to retain Kelly Oubre‘s cap hold, and will presumably see if Carter can earn some minutes in their backcourt rotation.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Korver is expected to be bought out by Phoenix before his $7.5MM salary for 2019/20 becomes fully guaranteed. Korver’s deal is only partially guaranteed for $3.44MM as long as he doesn’t remain under contract through July 7.
If and when Korver clears waivers, the Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers will be the frontrunners to sign him, says Wojnarowski.
As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter), the Grizzlies will be able to use trade exceptions to absorb Jackson’s and Melton’s contracts, generating two new trade exceptions worth $3.44MM (Korver’s partial guarantee) and $1.42MM (Carter’s salary).
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JULY 7: The deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Golden State is receiving guard Julian Washburn, who was on a two-way contract with Memphis last season, while the Grizzlies get $2MM in cash considerations in the deal, as well as Iguodala and the draft pick, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
JUNE 30: The Warriors have reached an agreement to trade Andre Iguodala to the Grizzlies, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Memphis will also receive a 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected) in the deal, according to Wojnarowski.
Moving Iguodala became a virtual necessity for Golden State once the team agreed to acquire D’Angelo Russell from the Nets in a sign-and-trade deal. The Warriors will pay Russell the maximum salary of $27MM+ in 2019/20.
After taking into account Russell’s salary, Klay Thompson‘s new max deal, and the rest of the team’s commitments, the club was in danger of surpassing the $138.9MM tax apron, which isn’t permitted — when a team acquires a player via a sign-and-trade, it becomes hard-capped at that figure, so shedding salary became a must.
It appears likely that Shaun Livingston and his partially guaranteed $7.7MM salary will be on the way out as well. ESPN’s Bobby Marks breaks down the Dubs’ financial situation more thoroughly via Twitter, but it seems safe to say that the club won’t be able to bring back several of its own free agents, including Kevon Looney.
As Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian observes (via Twitter), the Grizzlies will be able to take on Iguodala’s $17MM+ salary using the $25MM+ trade exception they’ll create when they officially send Mike Conley to Utah. The team should still be able to retain Delon Wright without going into the tax, but bringing back Avery Bradley appears unlikely, Herrington adds. Kyle Korver seems unlikely to remain in the picture in Memphis either.
It’s not clear whether Iguodala will stick with the Grizzlies. David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter links) suggests that Memphis would like to have Iguodala act as a veteran mentor to the team’s young players, but cautions that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a buyout. If the veteran swingman is bought out, he wouldn’t be eligible to re-sign with the Warriors in 2019/20.
Whether or not the Grizzlies retain Iguodala, it’s clear that the 2024 first-rounder is the prime asset in the deal. That pick will become top-one protected in 2025 if it doesn’t convey in 2024, according to Woj, who adds that it would be unprotected in 2026 if it doesn’t convey in either of the first two years.
Iguodala, who joined the Warriors in 2013, was a key part of the team’s run of success over the last several years. He won three titles with the club, earning the NBA Finals MVP in 2015.
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Shortly officially finalizing their trade with the Thunder to acquire his draft rights, the Grizzlies have officially signed No. 21 overall pick Brandon Clarke to his rookie scale contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
Clarke, 22, was viewed as a potential lottery pick entering the draft after he posted 16.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and a .687 FG% in his junior year at Gonzaga. When Clarke slipped a little, Memphis took advantage of his slide by packaging the No. 23 pick with a future second-rounder to move up to No. 21 to nab him.
As our chart of rookie scale salaries shows, Clarke’s first NBA deal figures to be worth approximately $2.48MM in year one and $12.15MM if he plays out the full four seasons.
Teams haven’t wasted any time in locking up their first-round picks to rookie contracts — Clarke is already the 19th of 30 first-rounders to formally sign, joining teammate Ja Morant in that group.
The Mavericks are targeting Grizzlies restricted free agent Delon Wright and could have his signature on an offer sheet by the end of the night, a league source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Memphis will have 48 hours to decide whether to match the offer once it’s submitted to the league office.
The 27-year-old point guard took advantage of increased playing time after he was shipped from the Raptors to the Grizzlies in February as part of the Marc Gasol trade. In 26 games with Memphis, Wright posted career highs with 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Earlier in the night, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Townsend that the team was virtually done in free agency outside of an “opportunistic” situation, which turned out to be Wright (Twitter link). ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweeted that the Mavs are waiting to finalize their deals from the past week while they search the trade market for ways to utilize their cap space, which goes away when all the transactions become official. That doesn’t include the Seth Curry signing, which is being done with cap room, and the extension for Dwight Powell, which doesn’t take effect until next season.
The Grizzlies have been making an effort to clear salary to better position themselves to keep Wright without going into tax territory. Their latest move came earlier today when they waived Avery Bradley.
The Grizzlies have waived guard Avery Bradley, according to the NBA’s Transactions Log. Bradley had just a $2MM guarantee on his $12.96MM salary for next season if was was let go before July 8, according to Basketball Insiders. The guarantee date was originally July 3, but Bradley agreed to move it last week.
Unloading Bradley’s contract provides more flexibility for Memphis to match a potential offer sheet for restricted free agent guard Delon Wright. The Grizzlies have about $123MM on their books, including Wright’s $7.6MM cap hold, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Once considered one of the NBA’s top perimeter defenders as well as a potent scorer, Bradley’s game has slipped since the Celtics traded him to the Pistons in 2017. However, he looked like his old self during his brief stay in Memphis, averaging 16.1 PPG in 14 games. Still only 28, Bradley should garner interest from several contending teams on the open market.
JULY 6: The trade sending Conley to the Jazz is now official, per the NBA’s transactions log. Darius Bazley, who was selected with the No. 23 overall pick last month, will be re-routed from Utah to Oklahoma City in a subsequent deal, while Korver will be sent to Phoenix.
JUNE 19: The Grizzlies and Jazz have reached an agreement on a trade that will send standout point guard Mike Conley to Utah, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Memphis will receive a package made up of Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, the No. 23 pick in the 2019 draft, and a future first-round pick. Per Wojnarowski (via Twitter), that second first-rounder will be a 2020 pick, which features protections through 2024.
Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian provides the full details on those protections, tweeting that the Grizzlies will get the pick in 2020 or 2021 if it falls in the 8-14 range. If it doesn’t convey in either of those drafts, it would become top-six protected in 2022, top-three protected in 2023, and top-one protected in 2024.
The deal will be completed once the new league year begins in July for cap reasons, according to Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). The Jazz will have to absorb Conley using their newly-opened cap room, but won’t necessarily have to waive Derrick Favors‘ non-guaranteed contract to make the deal work, Marks notes (via Twitter).
It’s a huge acquisition for the Jazz, who will be able to pair Conley with Donovan Mitchell in their backcourt, with Favors and Rudy Gobert up front and Joe Ingles providing floor spacing on the wing.
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Conley, 31, is coming off perhaps the best season of his NBA career, having averaged a career-high 21.1 PPG to go along with 6.4 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and a .438/.364/.845 shooting line.
Utah reportedly tried to land Conley at the trade deadline, putting an offer on the table that featured expiring contracts and a first-round pick, but that wasn’t enough to get Memphis to accept. The Jazz figured to face competition for the point guard from possible suitors like the Pacers, Heat, Celtics, and Mavericks when they circled back this offseason, but they were able to get a deal done early in the summer.
The Jazz can now focus on filling out their roster with complementary players. With Conley’s lucrative contract set to hit their books, they’ll no longer be a player for major free agents, but will have the room exception available. It’s projected to be worth $4.76MM.
Conley is owed $32.5MM in 2019/20 and $34.5MM in 2020/21 before his contract expires in 2021. His deal aligns him with Utah’s other core pieces — currently, Mitchell and Gobert are both on track to reach free agency in 2021 as well.
As for the Grizzlies, they’re expected to shift into rebuilding mode after trading long-time cornerstones Marc Gasol in February and Conley now. They’re poised to select Ja Morant with the No. 2 overall pick in tomorrow’s draft to supplant Conley as their point guard of the future. He and Jaren Jackson Jr. project to be the franchise’s building blocks going forward.
It’s not clear yet whether the Grizzlies intend to keep all the players and draft picks they’re acquiring in exchange for Conley. Crowder and Korver are on fairly modest expiring contracts (Korver’s salary is only partially guaranteed) and could appeal to contenders. Allen and the picks, on the other hand, represent solid assets for Memphis’ rebuild, though David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link) hears that the club will listen to offers for the No. 23 selection.
The Grizzlies are also in position to create a massive traded player exception in the swap, assuming they remain an over-the-cap team. Cap expert Albert Nahmad estimates the value of that exception to be about $25MM (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Anthony Davis trade could be delayed if Kawhi Leonard doesn’t choose a team by noon ET on Saturday, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Bobby Marks report.
The complex, four-way series of deals involving the Lakers, Pelicans, Hawks and Wizards can become official Saturday. The Lakers would lose their ability to give Leonard a max contract if any of the other teams involved decline to delay the trade. However, those teams are expected to cooperate, according to Marks.
The Lakers and Pelicans agreed on the initial trade in which Los Angeles sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks to New Orleans for Davis. Los Angeles opened up a $32MM salary slot by agreeing to ship Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones and a 2022 second-round pick to Washington, which sent cash to New Orleans. Davis also agreed to waive his $4MM trade kicker.
New Orleans and Atlanta made a big draft-night swap as an offshoot of the Davis trade. New Orleans agreed to move the No. 4 overall pick, forward De’Andre Hunter, they received from the Lakers as well as a late second-rounder along with Solomon Hill‘s contract to the Hawks for two first-rounders, center Jaxson Hayes and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, an early second-round pick and a first-rounder next year.
Without the delay, the Lakers could only offer Leonard a four-year, $127MM contract — $11MM less than the max over the life of the deal.
Leonard’s indecision also may cause some other delays.
The Pelicans won’t be able to sign free agent guard J.J. Redick until the Hill trade is finished. Hill is ticketed to the Grizzlies in another trade once the Davis deal is completed. The rookies involved in those proposed transactions, as well as the three young players headed to the Wizards, aren’t allowed to play summer league ball until everything is finalized.
JULY 6: The trade is now official, with both teams announcing it in press releases. “C.J. is respected around the league for his defense, three-point shooting and leadership,” Wizards Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Tommy Sheppard said. “All of those qualities appealed to us in making this deal and we look forward to him making a positive impact on our team.”
JULY 5: The Wizards are trading center Dwight Howard to the Grizzlies, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Memphis plans to waive Howard or forward him to another team, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Washington will receive swingman C.J. Miles in the deal, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.
The Grizzlies will shave $3.13MM off their team salary by dealing Miles, who is due $8.73MM next season. Howard has one year and $5.6MM left on his contract.
Additionally, Memphis has waived shooting guard Avery Bradley, Aldridge reports in another tweet. Bradley had a $12.96MM salary for next season but only $2MM was guaranteed. This gives Memphis even more flexibility to make moves, as Aldridge notes.
Bradley is a former client of current Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, which may impact his decision as a free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link).
Howard opted in for the second year of his contract with the Wizards, who had no interest in keeping the former All-Star on the roster.
Howard, who spent his previous three seasons with three different teams in Houston, Atlanta, and Charlotte, was a complete washout last season. Having used the full taxpayer mid-level exception to sign him, Washington viewed Howard as its major offseason addition, but he only appeared in nine games. Spinal surgery and a hamstring injury during his rehab resulted in a lost season for the 33-year-old Howard.
Miles’ situation was similar. He opted in to his contract but the Grizzlies had little use for the three-point specialist with a hefty salary on a rebuilding squad.
Miles is recovering from a stress reaction in his left foot. The 14-year veteran, who started last season with the Raptors, was sent to the Grizzlies as part of the package for Marc Gasol in February. In total, Miles appeared in 53 games (16.2 MPG) for Memphis and Toronto, averaging just 6.4 PPG on .360/.330/.828 shooting.
Memphis had until July 8 to fully guarantee Bradley’s salary. He appeared in 63 games last season with the Clippers and Grizzlies, averaging 9,9 PPG and 2.4 APG in 30.2 MPG. Without Bradley on their roster, the Grizzlies are in much better position to match an offer sheet for restricted free agent Delon Wright without going into tax territory.
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