Memphis Grizzlies NBA Free Agency Guide
By AJ Salah
Cap Holds
The Memphis Grizzlies currently have a glut of cap holds; $67 million worth. This bloats their total cap allocations north of $155 million, and severely cripples their ability to maneuver in NBA free agency.
The path to carving out the cap room via renounced holds is a long, and frankly foolish one. It would involve letting both Jonas Valanciunas and Delon Wright walk, and having virtually nothing to show for Marc Gasol months later. Memphis must find other ways to create money.
While the Grizzlies should fight to keep Valanciunas — who put up simply monster numbers for them last year — there’s a chance he could walk. Valanciunas is sure to garner interest, given his second-half outburst and the suddenly wide-open market. If Valanciunas signs elsewhere, that suddenly clears his $24.8 million cap hold, and leaves Memphis with something beyond the mid-level exception.
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Wright will also be a prized possession on the market. While he’s yet to develop a consistent jumper from deep; Wright is an athletic, versatile point guard, who can guard multiple wing spots. He could be a valuable rotation piece for multiple playoff teams. Memphis has his restricted bird rights, meaning they can match any offer thrown his way, even over the cap.
While both ex-Raptors might or might not figure into Memphis’ long-term plan, they are valuable assets that could easily be flipped for picks to would-be contenders.
The rest of Memphis’ cap holds are negligible: Justin Holiday should be a regarded as a sunk cost and moved on from; he’s an atrocious shooter and average defender. Tyler Dorsey isn’t a must-keep. Joakim Noah will likely seek a role on a contender, and Tyler Zeller was just a warm body.
The fates of Valanciunas and Wright will largely determine Memphis’ spending limit this summer, but other variables can also tilt the balance sheet: