Memphis Grizzlies waiving Wade Baldwin, Rade Zagorac
The Memphis Grizzlies recently made their final roster decision, waiving 2016 first-round pick Wade Baldwin and Rade Zagorac. Was this a good move?
The Memphis Grizzlies had to cut their roster down to 15 even though they had 16 guaranteed contracts. We all know the decision would come on Monday, but it came a lot early than expected. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped his typical Woj bombs to announce the roster cuts.
In this event, we’ll refer them to “Grizz Grenades” (a term contributor Jake Finnen coined when describing a small move by the Grizz).
Sources: Memphis waiving guard Wade Baldwin, the 17th overall pick in 2016 NBA Draft. Mario Chalmers makes roster. https://t.co/TsJ2btRe4N
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 16, 2017
The Grizzlies are also planning to waive or trade forward Rade Zagorac today, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 16, 2017
Was it the right move?
In all honestly, even as a huge Wade Baldwin supporter, this decision was the right one for the present. The Grizzlies needed Mario Chalmers as a veteran stabilizer, and Andrew Harrison looked flat better than Baldwin. It’s unfortunate as he was touted as a promising prospect coming into the draft. Not to mention, coaches and players in the Grizzlies organization saw the same promise in him.
However, he underperformed last season and saw time in the D-League. In addition, there were concerns with his character as a point guard.
While it might have been too early to pull the plug on Baldwin, they needed space for this season, and he didn’t fit the plans.
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Rade Zagorac might have been a player that was just brought over too early. The Memphis Grizzlies should’ve let him strike a new deal with his European club, keep his draft rights and see what they have at the end of the contract. Instead, they got him over after a year and realized he wasn’t good enough. Now, the Grizzlies don’t have his draft rights and have to eat some of his small contract.
This little “Grizz Grenade” magnifies a huge issue: the Grizzlies’ poor drafting over the past decade. This is the second year in a row they waived a first-round pick before his rookie deal was expired. Essentially, they threw away another first-round pick. With Rade Zagorac, they not only picked him before Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, but he was also a part of the Boston trade that sent away the Clippers’ 2019 first-round pick received in the Jeff Green deadline deal.
Sweet.
Overall, it was a good move for the future. When ranking the team’s top 15, Baldwin and Zagorac weren’t in there. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with these players going forward.