The Parsons signing looks like an unmitigated disaster. How could it have played out differently for the Memphis Grizzlies?
The NBA’s Summer of 2016 will be remembered in infamy for years to come, for two main reasons. First, obviously, was Kevin Durant defecting to Golden State and ruining the NBA for several seasons. Then there was the biblical outpouring of surplus cap space, and the havoc that ensued.
When the new TV deal money came rolling in, few teams knew how to react. In a thin free agency class, many GMs responded by lavishing mediocre players with ludicrous deals. Timofey Mozgov. Allen Crabbe. Solomon Hill. The list went on.
Unfortunately, the Memphis Grizzlies were chief among the culprits. That bonus cash, doused in their desperation for a stretch-swingman, led to the $94 million Chandler Parsons contract garbage fire.
At the time, there was rightful trepidation about a guy coming off two major injuries. In hindsight, Parsons has become one of the NBA’s most untradeable deals, his knees apparently now held together by low-grade modeling glue.
While Memphis prays for Chandler’s return to old form, let’s take a look back at other possible free agency targets at the three-spot. We’ll grade them based on financial viability, and likely benefit to the Grizzlies both last year and long-term.
(For simplicity’s sake, we’ll assume all other variables in the 2016 offseason remain constant.)