The Phoenix Suns unloaded 2017 fourth-overall pick Josh Jackson on the Memphis Grizzlies yesterday, after a tumultuous but oh-so-promising two-year stint with the franchise. Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic broke down exactly what went wrong for the once-prized prospect.
The Grizzlies, another team in the midst of a rebuild, will hope that a fresh start is enough to put the former Suns prospect back on the right track.
The Mavericks have increased their interest in restricted free agent Delon Wright and plan to give the 27-year-old an offer sheet, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Wright could sign an offer sheet with Dallas or another interested team before the moratorium period ends on July 6, although Memphis’ two-day window to match the offer sheet wouldn’t technically start until the moratorium is officially lifted.
The Grizzlies are expected to match any “reasonable” offer sheet for Wright, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Memphis has a lot of moving pieces in play, as trades with Utah, Golden State, and Phoenix still need to be made official. Once the dust settles, the Grizzlies would likely have to waive Avery Bradley‘s non-guaranteed contract, flip Andre Iguodala, or make another salary-shedding move to avoid going into tax territory to retain Wright.
Wright, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, appeared in 75 total games with the Raptors and Grizzlies this season. He was traded to Memphis as part of a deal centered around Marc Gasol in February, holding per-game averages of 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds in 26 games for the Grizzlies to end the regular season.
The Mavs’ decision to pursue Wright won’t change the team’s stance on free agent Danny Green, Townsend adds. Dallas projects to have up to about $23MM in cap room, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), so the team could theoretically make eight-figure offers to both players. Green remains undecided on where he’ll play next season, as he and agent Joe Branch wait for Kawhi Leonard to make his own free-agent decision.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Free agent swingman Justin Holiday has received interest from the Lakers, Clippers, Bulls, Raptors, Pacers, Wizards, Hornets, and Cavaliers, league sources tell Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Given how quickly most of the top players came off the market, Holiday represents one of the more intriguing options available, given his ability to knock down three-pointers (1.8 3PG on 35.4% shooting over the last three years) and defend on the perimeter.
According to Scotto, the Grizzlies are open to the idea of accommodating a sign-and-trade deal involving Holiday, so a team with interest in him could potentially acquire him using a trade exception if it doesn’t want to cut into its mid-level.
Here’s more on a few NBA free agents:
After a star-studded group of free agents hit the open market this summer, 2020’s free agent class isn’t expected to nearly as impressive, so front offices expect trades to “take center stage” over the next year, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
According to Windhorst, Bradley Beal‘s name is the one that keeps coming up when executives around the NBA discuss potential trade candidates, since the Wizards are facing a possible rebuilding – or at least retooling – process. However, sources tell Windhorst that Washington’s front office continues to resist inquiries on its All-Star shooting guard.
Here’s more from Windhorst’s article about possible trade targets from around the league:
Once they officially acquire Andre Iguodala from the Warriors after the July moratorium ends, the Grizzlies won’t buy him out right away, reports ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
According to MacMahon, Memphis is actively exploring the potential trade market for the veteran forward, with the Rockets and Mavericks among the interested teams. The Grizzlies don’t intend to give Iguodala a buyout before the season begins, MacMahon adds.
[RELATED: Rockets focused on Andre Iguodala, JaVale McGee]
The fact that the Grizzlies will receive a lightly-protected future first-round pick from Golden State in their deal for Iguodala doesn’t suggest that he has significant value, but that trade was a necessity for the Warriors, who had to clear salary to accommodate D’Angelo Russell‘s new maximum-salary deal under a hard cap of $138.9MM.
With no similar cap crunch of their own, the Grizzlies will have far more leverage in their own trade discussions involving Iguodala. They shouldn’t expect a huge return, given his age (35) and his cap charge ($17.2MM), but there’s reason to believe that the former Finals MVP would appeal to contending teams. According to MacMahon, he has drawn “significant interest.”
Whether they use cap room or remain an over-the-cap team and retain their $21MM+ trade exception, the Mavericks would have the ability to acquire Iguodala without sending out any salary. The capped-out Rockets would have to get more creative, particularly if they don’t want to part with one of their current starters in a trade.
While MacMahon doesn’t mention the Lakers as a team with trade interest in Iguodala, they’d also have the cap room necessary to make a play for him if Kawhi Leonard decides to sign elsewhere. As MacMahon notes, Rob Pelinka was Iguodala’s agent before he became the Lakers’ general manager.
After missing out on their top summer target when Jimmy Butler opted for Miami, the Rockets are looking at two former Warriors as they fill out their roster, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
With a need for depth at the wing and in the middle, Houston is turning its attention to Andre Iguodala and JaVale McGee, according to Feigen. With the moratorium is lifted Saturday, Iguodala will be on his way to Memphis, part of a cost-cutting move that enables Golden State to trade for D’Angelo Russell without exceeding the tax apron.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey may be willing to send next year’s first-round pick to the Grizzlies as part of a package to acquire Iguodala, who will make $17,185,185 in the final year of his contract. Morey could hope for a buyout and try to get Iguodala at a better price, but he would risk losing him to another team, such as the Lakers, where Iguodala’s former agent, Rob Pelinka, serves as GM.
Houston pursued Iguodala when he was a free agent in 2017 and put on “the best recruiting presentation of all time,” a source told ESPN. Iguodala canceled his other meetings and was reportedly ready to sign with the Rockets before Golden State increased its offer.
Feigen notes that if a trade happens, Memphis will have pulled off the rare feat of getting one first-rounder for taking Iguodala and another for letting him go.
The Rockets met with McGee, who played for the Lakers this season, on Sunday in a session that two sources told Feigen “went really well.” Houston’s interest in McGee wasn’t just a hedge against a Clint Capela trade, he adds. The team is looking for more size on its reserve unit and likes McGee as a pick-and-roll partner for James Harden and Chris Paul.
Despite some buzz on social media that Kawhi Leonard is leaning toward the Lakers, the reigning Finals MVP hasn’t reached a decision, tweets Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1. Carter – who has been an unexpectedly plugged-in source on Leonard since the forward’s days in San Antonio – adds that anyone thinking the Lakers have an edge on the Clippers or Raptors would be “wrong.”
Leonard is the last big star available in free agency, and his decision will have a long-lasting impact on all three franchises. Whichever club lands him will be a contender for the NBA title, while the other two teams will be scrambling to fill out their rosters. Leonard still hasn’t given any indication of when he plans to announce his choice.
Here are some more notes on the third day of free agency:
Pau Gasol, whose contract with the Bucks is up, continues to recover from a procedure on his left foot, but he wants to continue his NBA career next season, he tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
“My recovery from surgery has been smooth and I expect to be fully cleared for basketball activities in early August,” Gasol said. “I cannot wait to start training again.”
Gasol, who is an unrestricted free agent, is the only one of Milwaukee’s free agents who has yet to reach an agreement this week. There has been no indication that the Bucks are seeking a reunion.
Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors:
The top two picks in the draft, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, have officially signed their rookie contracts, according to a press release from the Pelicans and a tweet from the Grizzlies’ PR department.
Assuming he receives a max of 120% of the rookie-scale salary for the top pick, Williamson will earn approximately $9.757MM in his first year, according to Jeff Siegel of EarlyBirdRights.com (Twitter link). Morant would receive $8.73MM if he received the max for the second pick.
Williamson’s salary numbers for years 2-4 would be $10.245MM, $10.733MM and $13.535MM. Morant would get $9.167MM, $9.6MM and $12.1MM over those seasons.
Williamson appeared in 33 games for Duke, averaging 22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.1 SPG and 1.8 BPG. With Anthony Davis‘ impending trade to the Lakers, he’ll immediately be the marquee attraction for the franchise.
Morant averaged 24.5 PPG, 10.0 APG and 5.7 RPG for Murray State. Morant should step right into the starting lineup after veteran point guard Mike Conley was shipped to the Jazz.