Memphis Grizzlies Roundtable: Grading Rade Zagorac Signing
The Memphis Grizzlies made some moves this offseason, including the signing of Rade Zagorac, the 35th pick in the 2016 draft. Was this a good signing?
In the 2016 NBA draft, the Memphis Grizzlies made a surprising decision to deal the 2019 first-round pick acquired in the Stephenson-Green trade to obtain the rights to Deyonta Davis and Rade Zagorac. If they were to deal – what will probably be – a lottery to mid-first round pick for two second round prospects, they must be pretty high on them.
After playing in Europe last year, Rade Zagorac is officially a Memphis Grizzly. He signed a three-year deal with two years being guaranteed.
While some may be optimistic, most are skeptic of how this mystery European is going to be. Will he be another Danilo Gallinari or Chandler Parsons? Or, will he eventually be back in Europe after his first contract?
Fans got their first look at Zagorac in the Summer League, but it’s hard to evaluate his play in glorified pickup basketball.
As we grade each offseason move, Parker Fleming (@PAKA_FLOCKA), Jake Finnen (@HalfCourtJester), Nathan Chester (@BigNateChester) and J.D. McMillian (@TheBackwardsDJ) share their thoughts on the Zagorac signing.
Grade: C+
In a perfect world, Rade Zagorac would be on a two-way deal, spend this year with the Hustle.
However, it’s not a perfect world. Zagorac will be on the 15-man roster but will probably spend some time in the G-League. He showcased some versatility in the Summer League, snagging rebounds, playing average defense and running the floor.
With time, he can be a solid bench player for the Grizzlies. — Parker Fleming
We don’t really know what Rade’s role is really going to be, and we don’t know what kind of player he actually is. He saw glimpses of his potential in Summer League, but that’s not like the NBA regular season. I hope Rade gets his chances and proves he was worth a roster spot. — J.D. McMillian
Grade: C-
I still believe that Rade Zagorac can be a solid rotation player at some point in the future. However, he did show in Summer League that he may not be ready for NBA minutes yet. So it’s confusing why the Grizzlies made him apart of the 15-man roster rather than sign him to a 2-way contract.
Parker is right; it’s not a perfect world. — Nathan Chester
Grade: D+
His summer league was mediocre, and he didn’t show anything that would equal a spot in the rotation. He’s a step slower than most of the players but who knows, maybe he needs to motivation of playing in a real NBA game. — Jake Finnen
Next: Summer League Review: Rade Zagorac
What are your thoughts on the Rade Zagorac signing? Comment below.