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2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Memphis Grizzlies

October 20th, 2021 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 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 offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Memphis Grizzlies.

Free agent signings:

Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.

Killian Tillie: Two-way contract. Accepted qualifying offer as restricted free agent.
Yves Pons: Two-way contract.

Trades:

Acquired Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, the draft rights to Ziaire Williams (No. 10 pick), the draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40 pick), and the Lakers’ 2022 first-round pick (top-10 protected; from Pelicans) in a three-team trade in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas (to Pelicans), the draft rights to Trey Murphy (No. 17 pick; to Pelicans), the draft rights to Brandon Boston (No. 51 pick; to Pelicans), and the draft rights to Tyler Harvey (to Hornets).
Acquired the draft rights to Santi Aldama (No. 30 pick) from the Jazz in exchange for the draft rights to Jared Butler (No. 40) pick, the Grizzlies’ 2022 second-round pick, and the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick.
Acquired Sam Merrill, either the Pacers’, Cavaliers, or Jazz’s 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), and either the Pacers’ or the Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) from the Bucks in exchange for Grayson Allen and cash ($1MM).
- Note: If the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks are the two most favorable of the three, the Grizzlies would acquire the least favorable of those two picks.
Acquired Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu from the Clippers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe.
- Note: Rondo and Oturu have since been waived.
Acquired Jarrett Culver and Juan Hernangomez from the Timberwolves in exchange for Patrick Beverley.
Acquired Marc Gasol, the Lakers’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($250K) from the Lakers in exchange for the draft rights to Wang Zhelin.
- Note: Gasol has since been waived.
Acquired Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, and the right to swap either the Pacers’ or Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) for the Celtics’ 2026 second-round pick from the Celtics in exchange for Juan Hernangomez.
- Note: Dunn and Edwards have since been waived.

Draft picks:

1-10: Ziaire Williams
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $19,907,925).
1-30: Santi Aldama
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $10,243,371).

Contract extensions:

Jaren Jackson Jr.: Four years, $104,720,000. Includes Exhibit 3 injury protection related to Jackson’s left knee. Starts in 2022/23.

Departing players:

Grayson Allen
Tim Frazier
Sean McDermott
Jontay Porter
Jonas Valanciunas
Justise Winslow

Other offseason news:

Signed general manager Zach Kleiman to a long-term contract extension.
Dillon Brooks fractured his left hand and will miss the start of the regular season.

Salary cap situation:

Went under the cap, used their cap room.
Carrying approximately $114.1MM in salary.
Full room exception ($4,910,000) available.
Three traded player exceptions available, including one worth $4.1MM.

The Grizzlies’ offseason:

The Grizzlies and franchise player Ja Morant got a taste of the postseason during the spring, advancing through the play-in round, then losing to the top-seeded Jazz 4-1 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Morant averaged 30.2 PPG and 8.2 APG in the series, a sign the team can count on its point guard to ramp up his production under the spotlight of the playoffs.

Memphis’ offseason moves were designed to build on that momentum and the front office was active, though it didn’t do anything that would be considered splashy. The Grizzlies’ biggest transactions involved their frontcourt. Jaren Jackson Jr. appeared in just 11 regular-season games due to a knee injury and there was some uncertainty about whether they still viewed him as a cornerstone piece.

Memphis vanquished those doubts by handing the 22-year-old a four-year, $104.7MM contract, though the club gained a little protection through an injury clause. Jackson’s versatile offensive game and shot-blocking made such a commitment a worthwhile gamble. It was also a signal to Morant that front office plans to grow a young core around him with his potential max extension looming next offseason.

The move to bring in Steven Adams was somewhat curious. Following some solid seasons in Oklahoma City, Adams struggled to fit in with a young New Orleans team after being traded to the Pelicans last offseason. Before he suited up for the team, the Pels signed Adams to a two-year extension, which kicks in this season. The Grizzlies’ thinking is that Adams’ lack of a perimeter game won’t be a factor when paired up with a stretch four like Jackson. If all goes well, Adams should be their top rebounder while providing more physicality to their defense.

Though the Grizzlies made a number of trades, they were mainly motivated by adding to their draft capital. The most noteworthy future pick was the 2022 first-rounder they picked up from the Lakers, though naturally it figures to fall fairly low in the first round unless the Lakers are decimated by injuries this season. Memphis also owns Utah’s first-rounder in the next draft, giving the team some flexibility to maneuver and move up the draft or deal for an impact veteran.

The Grizzlies used the lottery pick they acquired in this year’s draft on an intriguing swingman in Stanford’s Ziaire Williams, though he’ll likely spend a good chunk of his rookie season developing his game in the G League.

Memphis took a flyer on another unfinished product in Jarrett Culver, the sixth pick in the 2019 draft. Still just 22, Culver never found a niche with the rebuilding Timberwolves. He could emerge as a defensive force on a playoff-caliber team.

The Grizzlies’ season:

The preseason didn’t end well for the Grizzlies, as the club revealed starting shooting guard Dillon Brooks will miss time while he continues to recover from a fractured hand. However, Memphis proved last season in Jackson’s absence that it can overcome a lengthy injury to a key player and still make the playoffs.

Naturally, the one player the Grizzlies can’t afford to lose for any extended period is Morant. As long as he’s at the controls, the team will remain in the postseason hunt. A full season from Jackson, as well as a bounce-back campaign from Adams, would also keep the franchise headed in the right direction.

Ultimately, the Grizzlies are still in need of another star at the wing position to become a serious contender. Perhaps they’ll cash in some of those extra first-rounders before the trade deadline or wait until next offseason to pursue that route. An appearance in the second round of the playoffs would probably be the ceiling for the current roster.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Jackson, Nwaba, Zion, Luka

October 19th, 2021 at 9:05pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The lucrative four-year, $105MM rookie extension that power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. signed this week with the Grizzlies is very much predicated on his ceiling. Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details why he considers the agreement mutually beneficial to both sides in a new piece. A big reason: the contract will decrease in value every season once it kicks in, which will give Memphis room to further bolster the roster.

“I’m locked in, I’m blessed, I’m happy I get to be here and be around people I love,” the 6’11” big man said of the deal and his chemistry in Memphis. “It’s a good experience.”

Due to Jackson’s extensive injury history, the agreement contains injury protection related to his left knee, but it only applies to the last year of the deal (for 2025/26), a source informed John Hollinger of The Athletic.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Following two injury-plagued years, Rockets swingman David Nwaba is relishing his good health heading into the 2021/22 season, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Nwaba suffered an Achilles injury in December 2019, and then a right wrist injury in February of this year that ultimately required surgery. “Hopefully, just take care of my body for the length of this season,” Nwaba said of his hopes for the year. “I think we’ve had a lot of improvements on the defensive end.” All told, the 28-year-old has been healthy for just 50 of his past 144 games with Brooklyn and Houston.
Thanks to an uncertain recovery timeline for the injured foot of All-Star power forward Zion Williamson, the Pelicans have already proved frustrating to fans ahead of the 2021/22 season, opines Scott Kushner of the NOLA.com. Williamson and team president David Griffin made it seem like the former No. 1 pick could be back in time for the beginning of the year, but it appears that the team was either too hopeful or being deliberately disingenuous, Kushner says.
Mavericks All-Star point guard Luka Doncic expressed his excitement about the club’s development ahead of the 2021/22 season, according to Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. “I think we’re playing great, sharing the ball,” Doncic said of the team’s 4-0 preseason showing. “Especially on the defensive end, we’ve been way better, and I think that’s the key for us.”

Grizzlies Sign Jaren Jackson Jr. To Four-Year Extension

October 18th, 2021 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

1:55pm: Jackson’s extension is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the deal has a first-year salary of $28.9MM and declines annually from there. Marks also confirms that it’ll include prior injury exclusion (Exhibit 3) language related to Jackson’s left knee.

12:41pm: There will be injury protections in the deal, sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic. According to Vardon, if Jackson gets hurt again, the Grizzlies would have the ability to save some or all of the money they’d owe him.

We’ll have to wait for the specific details, but typically, that sort of contract language applies to a reoccurrence of a similar prior injury. For instance, the agreement might make Jackson’s future salaries non-guaranteed if he has more health issues related to his left knee.

Joel Embiid‘s rookie scale extension with Philadelphia had language along those lines. But again, we’ll have to wait for more specifics on Jackson’s deal.

10:40am: The Grizzlies and power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. have reached an agreement on a rookie scale extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Agent Austin Brown of CAA Basketball tells Wojnarowski that Jackson is signing a four-year, $105MM extension with the team. It will go into effect in 2022/23.

Jackson, 22, was the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft and started 113 of the 115 games he played for Memphis in his first two NBA seasons. In 2019/20, he averaged 17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG on .469/.394/.747 shooting in 57 contests (28.5 MPG).

However, Jackson was sidelined for the majority of the ’20/21 campaign while recovering from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He returned late in the season for just 11 games and didn’t quite look like he was back up to full speed, averaging 14.4 PPG on a modest .424/.283/.833 shooting line.

Despite coming off a season nearly entirely lost to injury, Jackson remains a key part of the Grizzlies’ long-term plans, along with guard Ja Morant, who will be up for a rookie scale extension of his own in 2022.

As Wojnarowski writes, Memphis views Jackson as one of the more versatile and dynamic young bigs in the NBA. The team chose to lock him up now rather than risk paying an even higher price in restricted free agency a year from now.

Wojnarowski’s report doesn’t indicate that Jackson’s $105MM deal is fully guaranteed, so we’ll have to wait to see if that number is buoyed by incentives or whether the agreement includes some non-guaranteed money or injury language. Still, it’s a nice payday for a player who has only appeared in 126 total regular season games.

Jackson’s new deal puts this year’s crop of rookie scale extensions over the $1 billion mark, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). That figure includes massive, maximum-salary extensions for Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr., along with contracts ranging from $50-90MM for Mikal Bridges, Robert Williams, and Wendell Carter Jr.

The deadline to complete rookie scale extensions is at 5:00pm CT today, so more deals could still get done in the coming hours. We listed all the eligible players in an earlier story.

Grizzlies Exercise 2022/23 Options For Morant, Clarke, Bane

October 16th, 2021 at 4:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have picked up the fourth-year options for Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke and the third-year option on Desmond Bane, the team announced (via Twitter). The moves were expected as all three players deliver a level of production that exceeds their salaries for the 2022/23 season.

Morant, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft, was named Rookie of the Year in 2020 and helped Memphis reach the playoffs last season. He will make $12.1MM next season and will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension in July.

Clarke, who was selected 21st in 2019, has been a consistent bench player and part-time starter during both of his years with the Grizzlies. He will earn $4.3MM in 2022/23 and will also be eligible for an extension next summer.

Bane, the 30th pick in 2020, was acquired in a draft-night trade and had a productive rookie year, starting 17 of the 68 games he played. He will make $2.13MM during the 2022/23 season.

Memphis elected not to pick up the $8.1MM fourth-year option for Jarrett Culver, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. Culver, who was acquired from the Timberwolves in an August trade, will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Grizzlies Cut Kris Dunn, Two Others

October 16th, 2021 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have waived former lottery pick Kris Dunn, the team announced today in a press release. Matthew Hurt and David Stockton have also been cut, as Memphis finalizes its roster for the regular season.

Dunn, 27, began his career with Minnesota after being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He was later sent to Chicago in the Jimmy Butler trade and spent three years with the Bulls before signing with Atlanta during the 2020 offseason.

Dunn has struggled to produce offensively at the NBA level, averaging 8.2 PPG and 4.1 APG in 231 career games (24.1 MPG), with a shooting line of .420/.305/.727. His strong defense earned him a two-year contract with the Hawks last offseason, but an ankle injury limited him to just four games. He was traded to Boston and then flipped to Memphis after he exercised his player option for 2021/22.

The Grizzlies acquired Dunn and Carsen Edwards in that trade with Boston last month, but have since waived both players, signaling that the 2026 second-round pick swap included in the deal was the main reason Memphis pulled the trigger.

Dunn will clear waivers on Monday and could draw interest from teams in need of a defensive specialist in the backcourt.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Grizzlies, Rockets, Pelicans, Gordon

October 15th, 2021 at 6:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the podcast 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he has a vaccine mandate for his employees.

“It is your choice. It is absolutely, positively up to you. But there are consequences that come with that,” Cuban said, per Selby Lopez of The Dallas Morning News. “If you work for me, I require my employees to be vaccinated unless there’s a doctor’s reason where they can’t be.”

Since the NBA doesn’t require its players to be vaccinated, that mandate doesn’t apply to the players on Dallas’ roster such as Trey Burke, who said during training camp he remains unvaccinated.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

John Hollinger of The Athletic interprets the Grizzlies‘ summer trades of Jonas Valanciunas and Grayson Allen as signals that the team isn’t feeling pressure to take another big step forward after making the playoffs last season. Hollinger expects his old club’s end-of-season record to look similar to last year’s, projecting a 41-41 finish.
Hollinger also recapped the offseason and previewed the upcoming season for the Rockets and Pelicans. He was confused by Houston’s four-year commitment to Daniel Theis, given that most other veterans on the roster seem to be on the trade block, but expects the Rockets to be entertaining in 2021/22, projecting 26 wins. Hollinger had mixed feelings on New Orleans’ offseason, but suggests the moves look better in totality than they did individually at the time, and forecasts 43 wins for the Pels.
Rahat Huq of The Houston Chronicle explores whether the Rockets should hang onto Eric Gordon or focus on trying to find a trade that gets him to a contender as soon as possible. As Huq observes, it’s difficult to find a good match for Gordon at this point, so it probably makes sense for the team to sit tight and see if more opportunities open up by the trade deadline or next offseason.

Grizzlies Sign Stockton, Waive Caver

October 15th, 2021 at 5:15pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies announced in a press release that they have signed guard David Stockton and waived guard Ahmad Caver.

The terms of Stockton’s contract weren’t disclosed, but it’s almost certainly an Exhibit 10 contract. As with Caver, he will likely be waived before the season starts. The move is procedural in nature, as it will allow the Grizzlies to give Stockton a bonus of up to $50K if he sticks with their G League squad, the Memphis Hustle, for at least 60 days.

Stockton is a six-year veteran of the G League and has seen action in six total NBA games since going undrafted in 2014. He has also played for several overseas teams during the course of his career. In 184 G League contests, he holds career averages of 17.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 6.9 APG in 29.9 MPG, with a shooting line of .450/.369/.820. He suited up for the Hustle last season in the G League bubble in Orlando.

Caver spent the past two seasons with the Hustle after going undrafted out of Old Dominion in 2019. He had a productive run for the team last season, putting up 16.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 29.4 MPG off the bench.

The move leaves the team with the preseason maximum of 20 players under contract: 15 with guaranteed deals, Sam Merrill with a partial guarantee of $500K, and both two-way slots filled.

Grizzlies Sign Ahmad Caver, Matthew Hurt; Waive Sean McDermott, Romeo Weems

October 14th, 2021 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have completed a series of four roster moves, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Sean McDermott and Romeo Weems, replacing them on the roster with Ahmad Caver and Matthew Hurt.

Both McDermott and Weems had been on Exhibit 10 contracts and it’s safe to assume that Caver and Hurt will receive similar deals.

All four players are candidates to join the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate. Signing them to Exhibit 10 deals now ensures the Grizzlies will secure their NBAGL rights or – if the team already holds their returning rights – will be able to award them bonuses of up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Hustle.

Caver, a 6’2″ point guard, has spent the last two seasons with the Hustle and made a major impact off the bench for the team in the 2021 NBAGL bubble, averaging 16.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .525/.425/.634 shooting in 15 games (29.4 MPG).

Hurt, a 6’9″ forward who played two seasons for Duke, had a very productive sophomore season for the Blue Devils in 2020/21, averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.2 RPG with a stellar .556/.444/.724 shooting line across 24 games (32.7 MPG). He signed a two-way contract with Houston in August, but was waived in September.

Dillon Brooks Has Fractured Left Hand, To Be Reassessed In 2-3 Weeks

October 12th, 2021 at 4:22pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Grizzlies have announced that swingman Dillon Brooks is still recovering from a left hand fracture and will be reassessed in 2-3 weeks.

According to the team, after normal imaging was conducted on players ahead of the 2021/22 season, the Grizzlies decided that Brooks should undergo further treatment for the hand to heal. The 25-year-old was originally sidelined for eight weeks earlier this summer after breaking his hand in two locations.

The 6’7″ wing out of Oregon averaged a career-best 17.2 PPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG last season, to go along with 2.9 RPG, playing 67 out of 72 games for Memphis. He also posted a shooting line of .419/.344/.815.

Brooks has missed all of the Grizzlies’ four preseason contests thus far as a result of a sore right thigh.

Grizzlies Sign Romeo Weems, Waive Shaq Buchanan

October 8th, 2021 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have made a minor change to their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed forward Romeo Weems and waived guard Shaq Buchanan.

Weems averaged 7.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 18 games (28.6 MPG) for DePaul as a sophomore in 2020/21, knocking down 36.6% of this three-point attempts. He agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Grizzlies shortly after going undrafted in July and has now finalized that deal over two months later.

Buchanan, who has signed Exhibit 10 deals with Memphis in three consecutive years, has spent the last two seasons with the Memphis Hustle in the G League, averaging 11.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .426/.349/.657 shooting in 48 games (24.8 MPG). He’s a good bet to return to the Hustle this season, and Weems appears likely to join him.

Following their moves, the Grizzlies still have a full 20-man roster, with 16 players on guaranteed contracts, two on Exhibit 10 pacts, and a pair on two-way deals.