The Memphis Grizzlies buy out Gorgui Dieng’s contract
The NBA Trade Deadline is behind us, which means buyout season is here. Gorgui Dieng may not be the biggest name in the buyout market, but he could make some noise for teams looking for a backup center.
Dieng is 31-years old and can play strong defense, space the floor, and block shots. He may not be elite in any of those categories, but he’s fully capable of playing strong basketball out on the court. We saw it earlier in the season with the Grizzlies this year.
Here’s what his stats looked like in the games that he has suited up for:
Points: 7.9
Rebounds: 4.5
3-point percentage: 47.9
He may not be the flashiest player, but he is a guy that NBA teams will be looking to sign once the Grizzlies buy out his ugly contract.
But will the Grizzlies buy out his ugly contract? In all likelihood, yes, but the NBA isn’t extremely predictable a hundred percent of the time.
Prior to the trade deadline, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer stated that the Grizzlies would look to buy out his contract if they couldn’t find a trade partner. Well, they haven’t found a trade partner, so what do you think is going to happen?
If his contract is bought out, this could mean a few things. The Grizzlies could sign a free agent — someone who could be impactful as the playoffs approach. They could also convert somebody’s two-way contract. It’s unclear what their first move would be, but this would open the door for a handful of opportunities.
But a buyout is not the only scenario on the horizon.