Offseason In Review: Memphis Grizzlies
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees and more will be covered as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Marc Gasol: Five years, $113.212MM. Signed via Bird rights. Fifth year is a player option. Contains 15% trade kicker.
- Brandan Wright: Three years, $17.1MM. Signed via mid-level exception. Contains 15% trade kicker.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired Luke Ridnour from the Magic in exchange for the draft rights to Janis Timma.
- Acquired Matt Barnes from the Hornets in exchange for Ridnour.
- Acquired the draft rights to Andrew Harrison from the Suns in exchange for Jon Leuer.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Jarell Martin (Round 1, 25th overall). Signed via rookie scale exception to rookie scale contract.
- Andrew Harrison (Round 2, 44th overall). Signed to play in NBA D-League.
Camp Invitees
- Sampson Carter — Waived.
- Patrick Christopher — Waived.
- Yakhouba Diawara — Waived.
- Ryan Hollins — Waived.
- Michael Holyfield — Waived.
- Lazeric Jones — Waived.
- Dan Nwaelele — Waived.
- Alex Stepheson — Waived.
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Jordan Adams (third year, $1,465,080) — Exercised.
Nothing the Grizzlies did or realistically could have accomplished this summer was as significant as the re-signing of Marc Gasol was. Granted, no real doubt ever emerged that the Spanish center with longstanding Memphis connections would re-sign, even though he maintained at least some level of mystery in his comments leading up to free agency. That disappeared when Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that Gasol had no plans to meet with other suitors, like the Spurs and Knicks. Grizzlies officials traveled to Spain to hash out a deal, and while it took longer than a true open-and-shut negotiation might, Gasol recommitted to the Grizzlies, and vice versa, through 2019 at the maximum salary, with Gasol given the choice for a another max season in 2019/20.
He’ll turn 35 in January of that season, but even though he might not be as productive as he is now at the back end of the deal, it was one the Grizzlies had to make. Gasol had just made a leap as an offensive player, lifting his points per game from 14.6 in 2013/14, when he tied his career best, to a new high of 17.4 in 2014/15, and while he had a corresponding decline in his defensive performance, it showed his versatility. He can adapt his style as the Grizzlies see fit over the next five years, and Memphis may indeed ask for a different contribution from Gasol as the team’s core ages and particularly once Zach Randolph, now 34, is no longer a reliable inside scoring force.
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to accurately predict what the salary cap will look like by the time Gasol’s deal runs to term, since the players and owners could decide to tear up the collective bargaining agreement in 2017. Still, it’ll almost certainly be significantly higher than the $70MM it is now, suggesting that as Gasol’s game declines, so will the percentage of the cap his salary occupies.
Days before Gasol reached free agency, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace signaled that he was already operating under the assumption that Gasol would be back, using a trade exception Memphis created in the Jeff Green deal to absorb Luke Ridnour for no salary in return and flipping Ridnour for Matt Barnes. Perhaps no acquisition would fit as well into the character of the Grizzlies than the rough-and-tumble Barnes, and surely trading for the 35-year-old small forward was a signal that Memphis has no intention of making major changes. That Barnes has added a more reliable 3-pointer to his game is significant, too. He canned 136 3-pointers last season, a career mark, and his 36.2% accuracy was close to his best. That will help the Grizzlies, as notoriously short on floor spacing as they are, but the team would be misguided to expect Barnes to mimic Kyle Korver.
Memphis tried to acquire additional outside shooting, reportedly pursuing Danilo Gallinari at the time of the draft and apparently engaging in talks with the Nets about Joe Johnson at around the same point. No such deal materialized, and if one criticism of the Grizzlies offseason exists, it’s that the team failed to acquire a three-point shooter with a long track record of success or, Barnes notwithstanding, the potential to become one. The Grizzlies could have used the No. 25 overall pick in this year’s draft on R.J. Hunter, who went at No. 28 to the Celtics, or on Anthony Brown, whom the Lakers took 34th. Instead of those two sharpshooters, Memphis went with combo forward Jarell Martin, who shot 30.8% from behind the arc in his two years at LSU. Martin is a gifted scorer at the basket and a proficient rebounder, but he won’t solve the spacing issues in Memphis. Of course, it’s arguable whether Hunter or especially Brown are ready to play meaningful minutes for a team with legitimate title aspirations, so it’s tough to say the Grizzlies missed a realistic opportunity with their draft choice.
The Grizzlies didn’t address their shooting needs, but they did sufficiently fill the hole that Kosta Koufos left when he departed in free agency for the Kings. Memphis committed the full value of the $5.464MM mid-level exception to Brandan Wright, a remarkably efficient offensive player who’s posted PERs of 20 or better each of the past four seasons. He’s not the rebounder or defender that Koufos is, but he comes at an average annual value roughly $2.5MM cheaper than the deal Koufos signed with the Kings. The Grizzlies enter the season about $4MM shy of the luxury tax line, so while they could have afforded to retain Koufos at a price similar to what the Kings paid, it would have cost them flexibility that they instead have at their disposal this season in the continued hunt for outside shooting.
Otherwise, the Grizzlies essentially stood pat. They cycled through eight camp invitees and nearly kept one of them, Ryan Hollins, over Jarnell Stokes, the 35th overall pick from 2014. Memphis ultimately decided to retain Stokes over Hollins, even though the extra time it took to make that decision cost the Grizzlies two days’ worth of salary for Hollins, who stuck on the roster past Saturday’s deadline to cut non-guaranteed money without it counting against the cap.
It leads into a season in which the expectations and challenges are the same. The Grizzlies are still a member of the Western Conference elite, but they’re rarely thought of as the favorites to escape the West, much less win the NBA championship. That said, they’re close enough to the title that it’s worth a continued effort toward it, even as their core keeps aging. Mike Conley, the youngest member of that core, is set for free agency next year, and though multiple reports suggest he’ll quietly re-sign just as Gasol did, that’s not a given. It’s another reason why, in Memphis, tomorrow doesn’t matter nearly as much as today does.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of it.
And-Ones: Morris, Stephenson, D-League, Stretch
Markieff Morris didn’t have a lot to say when asked about playing apart from his brother, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Morris seemingly vacated an offseason trade demand when he arrived at Suns camp in September, nearly three months after Phoenix irked him with the trade that sent his twin to Detroit.
“It is what it is. He’s at work. I’m at work. Same thing,” Morris said.
He also expressed no surprise that Marcus Morris is off to a strong start with the Pistons, Coro notes. See more from around the league:
- Lance Stephenson has pleasantly surprised the Clippers so far, unexpectedly winning a starting job and rewarding the team for its extra diligence during the vetting process for the trade that brought him to L.A., as USA Today’s Sam Amick details. Clippers GM Dave Wohl made 61 calls to people who know Stephenson instead of the standard 20, according to Amick. “I don’t think we’ve ever made more [background] calls for a player in my life,” Clippers coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers said before Thursday’s game. “We had to make sure, but I’ve got to tell you that I’m really excited.”
- Cartier Martin, whom the Pistons waived last week despite a fully guaranteed salary of nearly $1.271MM, and eight-year NBA veteran Ronnie Brewer are among the players signing D-League contracts that will funnel them to Saturday’s D-League draft, league sources tell Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter links). In Martin’s case, that means the Pistons elected not to claim his D-League rights. Hornets camp cut Sam Thompson is also signing with the D-League and heading to the D-League draft, a source tells Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). Charlotte won’t have an affiliate until next year and thus couldn’t claim his rights.
- The use of the stretch provision is down this year after a surge in 2014, but a Western Conference GM who spoke with Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com believes that over time, teams will more frequently use the mechanism to spread out the payment schedule for money owed to players. “The stretch provision was something that was really being underutilized until pretty recently. I don’t think some teams understood how it could be used as a benefit,” the GM said. “I think we’ll see it more in the future because with the salary cap going up, it will be easier to fit into your planning.”
The Beat: Mark Medina On The Lakers
Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.
We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun about the Raptors. Click here to see all the previous editions of this series.
Today, we gain insight on the Lakers from Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. You can follow Mark on Twitter at @MarkG_Medina, and check out his stories right here.
Hoops Rumors: Is the top priority for the Lakers this season to foster the development of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and their other young players, or is it to make a run at a playoff spot after two non-competitive years?
Mark Medina: As of now, the Lakers hope they can do both. On paper, the Lakers’ young core of players (and Kobe) represent the team’s most talented players. Russell, Randle and Clarkson also represent the Lakers’ long-term future. But they are obviously bound to make some rookie mistakes. And it will be interesting to see how much Byron [Scott] prioritizes maximizing his wins versus giving them room to figure things out. My hunch is Byron will have a shorter leash to start on the season if mistakes continue. If it ever becomes clear the Lakers are not playoff-bound, Byron will change his priority on solely developing the team’s young talent.
Hoops Rumors: What’s Kobe Bryant‘s approach to this season been like so far? Does he appear willing to defer to others, or does he seem to want to put the team on his back and carry it the way he has in the past?
Mark Medina: So far, Kobe is doing the right things. But there are two unanswered questions. Can Kobe stay healthy? How much patience will Kobe have with the young players once they start making mistakes and the team starts losing? The Lakers will try to be conservative with Bryant’s minutes and workload, but that will not guarantee anything about his health. Kobe will look to take a less-is-more approach at the beginning. But Kobe will take matters into his own hands if he feels his teammates are taking too long to develop. For better and for worse, Kobe has not shown a lot of patience with that.
Hoops Rumors: The Lakers have a chance to essentially give Roy Hibbert a one-year audition, since he’s on an expiring contract. What does he need to accomplish this season to make a compelling case that he’s the long-term answer at center for the Lakers?
Mark Medina: Defense, defense, defense. That’s mainly all he was brought here for, since the Lakers were awful in that department last season. It will also help that Hibbert has a good attitude after things soured in Indiana. Roy has played well on defense, but he will need a stronger supporting cast around him. As for his attitude, Roy’s done the right things thus far with embracing his role and inviting teammates out for paintball as a bonding activity.
Hoops Rumors: Jordan Clarkson was a revelation last season, and Mitch Kupchak said he envisions Clarkson and Russell as the team’s backcourt for the next decade or more. What is it that has the Lakers so confident that a player who was only the 46th pick in the draft last year can keep it up?
Mark Medina: Jordan proved that he was ready with the opportunity. And he is an endless grinder that embraces self improvement. Clarkson’s dropping draft stock stemmed from his decline of play at the end of his junior season [at Missouri]. But that coincided with Clarkson grieving over his dad possibly dying of cancer. His dad survived the ordeal, and Clarkson quickly proved that his struggles had nothing to do with his skills. Jordan has a long ways to go with his defense and passing. But he’s a natural scorer and never seems to get tired.
Hoops Rumors: The additions of Russell and Lou Williams and the return of Kobe appear to threaten Nick Young‘s playing time. What sort of role do the Lakers plan for him this season?
Mark Medina: It remains to be seen. As of now, Young will be a backup small forward. And he has said/done the right things in listening to Byron and complementing Lou well. But again, the chapter on this will be written based on Young’s play in games that count as well as how he handles negative circumstances that could possibly include lots of losing and Scott’s demands.
Hoops Rumors: Do the Lakers expect No. 27 overall pick Larry Nance Jr. to contribute in a meaningful way this season, or are they taking it slow with him?
Mark Medina: The Lakers love his energy. He will gradually get more and more minutes throughout the season. He brings a lot on defense and hustle plays, which is something that defines how Byron wants his teams to play.
Pelicans Waive Nate Robinson
The Pelicans have waived Nate Robinson, the team announced. He was the team’s starting point guard in its opening game Tuesday. However, he only played 19 minutes in that game, and just four in Wednesday’s contest, one in which usual starter Jrue Holiday returned to action. The release of Robinson’s non-guaranteed deal leaves New Orleans with 14 players, one below the regular season limit.
Injuries beset the team during the preseason, and Holiday remains on a minutes restriction. Backup point guard Norris Cole is a couple of weeks into a recovery from a high ankle sprain that’s expected to keep him out for as long as six weeks, and Tyreke Evans, who’s also taken on point guard duties in the past, is about a week into a six-to-eight week recovery from knee surgery. Still, New Orleans has given the majority of its minutes at point guard to Ish Smith, whom the Pelicans claimed off waivers Monday.
The team signed Robinson two weeks ago as part of its effort to offset injuries at the point, but it appears the Pelicans would rather go with Smith and perhaps Toney Douglas, with whom the team is reportedly in talks. In any case, Robinson will receive a sliver of his $1,499,187 for sticking on the roster a few days.
Central Notes: Love, Meeks, Monroe, Noah
The Cavaliers re-signed Kevin Love to a five-year max deal this summer, and LeBron James indicated Wednesday that getting the former All-Star involved is the team’s top offensive priority, notes Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Love is so far the team’s second-leading scorer, at 17.5 points per game, a point behind James.
“We’ll use Kevin however he wants to be used,” James said. “I told you Kevin is going to be our main focus. He’s going to have a hell of a season. He’s going to get back to that All-Star status. He’s the focal point of us offensively. I know I can go out and get mine when I need it. But I need Kev to be as aggressive as he was tonight, and when he rebounds at the level he did tonight, the shots will automatically fall for him.”
See more from the Central Division:
- Jodie Meeks suffered a Jones fracture to his right foot during the Pistons game Wednesday, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told reporters, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. It’s an injury that some doctors say requires four to six weeks for recovery in some cases, Ellis tweets, though the team hasn’t released a timetable and specifics are scarce, Ellis notes.
- Caron Butler played a half-season for the Bucks in 2013/14 and was briefly on the roster following this year’s Ersan Ilyasova trade, but Milwaukee can thank the native of nearby Racine for his hand in helping the team successfully recruit Greg Monroe, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times details. Butler, now with the Kings, and Monroe were teammates on the Pistons last season. “He grew up around here [Milwaukee] and played here and I listened to what he would say about Milwaukee,’’ Monroe said of Butler. “He had some positive things to say about being here. He also definitely played a role in me coming here.’’
- Joakim Noah came to Fred Hoiberg with the suggestion that the Bulls start Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic instead of him, the new Bulls coach tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Noah was No. 8 in the 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings we compiled before the start of camp, though he figures to drop in the upcoming edition of our rankings now that he’s coming off the bench.
Perry Jones, Jeff Ayres Signing In D-League
Free agents Perry Jones III and Jeff Ayres are signing D-League contracts and will be eligible for Saturday’s D-League draft, reports Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). The D-League hasn’t made an announcement, but Reichert indicates that Jones and Ayres have already put pen to paper. Jones cleared NBA waivers after the Celtics cut him loose this weekend, while Ayres, coming off two seasons with the Spurs, was briefly on a deal this fall with Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association, which released him about a month ago. Jones and Ayres will still be able to sign NBA contracts should offers emerge.
Jones, 24, finds himself out of an NBA job in large measure because of a numbers crunch in Boston, where Jones had one of the 16 fully guaranteed salaries the Celtics carried into training camp, one more than the regular season roster limit. The C’s still owe him the $2.038MM that his rookie scale contract called for him to make this season. The Thunder offloaded his contract to the Celtics earlier this summer in the trade that sent the former 28th overall pick to Boston.
The 28-year-old Ayres, once known as Jeff Pendergraph, averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game for the second time in his five-year career last season. Rumors of NBA interest in the big man were scarce over the summer. The Spurs renounced their Early Bird rights to him to clear cap room for their free agent haul, according to RealGM.
Which NBA teams would be the best fits for Jones and Ayres? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Carroll, Nets, Railey
Draft picks, cap space, and “Trader Danny” Ainge, the team’s president of basketball operations, leave the Celtics in fine shape as they seek to add marquee players, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck believes, as he explained Wednesday in a radio appearance on the Felger & Mazz show on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com has the details and transcription that shows Grousbeck defending the team’s approach to rebuilding and indicating that a major free agent run isn’t the team’s preferred path.
“Free agency is the last choice and it’s when you haven’t made a trade that locks up your cap, or you haven’t developed guys enough who then are max guys to re-sign them,” Grousbeck said. “We’re not saving for free agents. It’s not like we’re saying no to expensive people. We brought in [David] Lee and [Amir] Johnson but on one year. We’re going to take a look at those guys. Two good players. We have the option to probably re-sign them next summer. We can extend some of the guys on the roster or we can make a trade in February and take on a bunch of money. So all those things. At the end of it all if there’s free agency dollars left then you can go the free agency route.”
See more from the Atlantic Division:
- DeMarre Carroll took a hard fall in Toronto’s opener Wednesday, but it turned out just to be a bruised elbow, and his ability to shrug off that and play his usual hard-nosed defense underscored why the Raptors signed him to a four-year, $58MM deal, DeMar DeRozan said, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
- The playoffs are still the goal for the Nets, GM Billy King told reporters this week, but he acknowledged that the team still must develop its young players, as The Record’s Andy Vasquez relays. Brooklyn owes its unprotected first-round pick to the Celtics this year.
- The contract that Jordan Railey was briefly on with the Sixers was a non-guaranteed deal for one year at the minimum, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Philadelphia announced Monday that it had signed and quickly waived the former Washington State center for the purpose of securing his D-League rights. The Sixers incurred a small cap hit for doing so, since the deal came after Saturday’s deadline for teams to remove non-guaranteed salary without it counting against the cap.
Michael Friisdahl To Run Raptors Parent Company
9:30am: The hiring is official, the organization announced.
9:11am: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Raptors, is hiring Air Canada executive Michael Friisdahl as the new president and CEO, a source told Rick Westhead of TSN. He’ll take over for current MLSE chief Tim Leiweke in December, tweets Michael Grange of SportsNet. Leiweke announced more than a year ago that he was stepping down in June, but he’s stayed on as MLSE struggled to find a replacement.
Friisdahl’s background is chiefly in the travel industry, so his lack of sports industry experience is likely a sign that GM Masai Ujiri will be able to run the Raptors without much interference, posits Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Leiweke, by contrast, came to the organization having already served as president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the National Hockey League’s Kings and part of the Lakers.
John Cassaday, who is the top executive of Corus Entertainment in Toronto, was the front-runner for the MLSE job and the sides tentatively reached an agreement, but they got a late start on discussing financial terms and ultimately couldn’t close a deal, Westhead writes.
Jones, Motiejunas Nix Rockets Extension Talks
Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas are taking a pass on signing rookie scale extensions with the Rockets and will instead set themselves up for restricted free agency this coming summer, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Neither was able to gain traction in talks with the team, Charania adds. The deadline for rookie scale extensions is Monday.
That Houston was apparently not willing to bend too far in negotiations with either is no surprise, given GM Daryl Morey‘s longstanding desire to retain cap flexibility each year. The Rockets have about $44.3MM committed against a salary cap that some executives believe will rise to $95MM for next season, but that doesn’t include a team option worth $1.296MM the Rockets plan to exercise, nor does it include Ty Lawson‘s $13MM-plus non-guaranteed salary or Dwight Howard‘s $23MM-plus player option.
The Rockets will have the ability to match offers for both Jones and Motiejunas, and owner Leslie Alexander’s remark to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle this week that, “Nobody ever leaves here if we want to keep them,” underscores the level of control the team has. Still, the Rockets lost Chandler Parsons on a player-friendly offer sheet to the Mavs in 2014, and Jones and Motiejunas will be eligible to solicit similar deals from competing teams.
The pair of power forwards both experienced significant injuries last season, with Jones missing the first half of the season with a nerve injury that left him questioning whether he’d ever play again and Motiejunas missing the stretch run and the playoffs with an ailing back. Motiejunas has yet to return from his injury, though he’s questionable for Friday’s game.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe speculated in August that Jones might ask for $15MM salaries, and he’s shown his value as a floor-stretcher with 35.1% three-point shooting last year, an improvement over his first two seasons. Still, the 23-year-old struggles defensively, as Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors points out in our extension candidate profile of the Thad Foucher client.
Motiejunas, 25, has had mixed results defensively, though he, too, displayed an improved outside shooting game in 2014/15, when he made 62 starts and nailed 36.8% of his three-pointers. However, for a 7-footer, his rebounding numbers were a disappointing 5.9 boards in 28.7 minutes per game, as I noted in our extension candidate piece for him. Foucher, a Wasserman Media Group agent, also represents Motiejunas, though both Jones and Motiejunas are former clients of Arn Tellem, who left the agency for an executive job with the Pistons organization, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
Do you think Jones and/or Motiejunas will be back with the Rockets next season? Leave a comment to let us know.
Pelicans Talking With Toney Douglas
The Pelicans and Toney Douglas are discussing a possible deal, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans just waived Nate Robinson, opening up a roster spot and ostensibly some time at point guard. Douglas cleared waivers from the Pacers this week.
Douglas, 29, is familiar to GM Dell Demps and the Pelicans front office, having signed a pair of 10-day contracts and a multiyear deal with New Orleans last season. The Pelicans waived Douglas in July rather than guarantee his salary, which led the former 29th overall pick to turn to the Pacers. Now, with both Douglas and the Pelicans in a position of need, it appears a reunion is in the works.
New Orleans has made a madcap series of moves over the past several weeks as the team has dealt with more than its share of injuries, particularly at point guard and center. Backup Norris Cole and Tyreke Evans, an occasional point guard, stand fair chances to miss most if not all of November, while starter Jrue Holiday is on a minutes restriction. Robinson began the season as the starter Tuesday while Holiday sat out, but Robinson saw only four minutes in Wednesday’s game and the majority of the minutes at the position have gone to Ish Smith, whom New Orleans just claimed off waivers last week. New Orleans also signed and cut former University of New Orleans player Bo McCalebb over a 10-day span this month.
Douglas received a $600K partial guarantee from the Pacers, so he shouldn’t be hurting for cash. New Orleans has its $2.139MM biannual exception available, but it would be surprising if the Pelicans committed more than a partially guaranteed minimum-salary contract to him.
Do you think Douglas is a better option for the Pelicans than Robinson was? Leave a comment to let us know.