The Memphis Grizzlies‘ 2021 offseason can be described in many words. If I had to narrow it down though, I’d probably land on the word “active.” After an initial blockbuster trade, the Grizzlies have continued to use the trade market to improve their team in every way possible. Thus far, it’s working out.
That said, the Grizzlies are far from being done. With 18 rostered players, Memphis will be looking to make more trades, potentially bringing more draft picks to Memphis. They may even look to package some of their guys for a starting-caliber player.
No matter what the case is, Zach Kleiman has a lot of offseason to go. Here are a few players on the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster who are at risk of being traded.
Memphis Grizzlies PG Tyus Jones is the most obvious candidate for a trade
I’m giving the half-slide to Tyus Jones here since I’m not in the mood to beat a dead horse. Jones has been a reliable backup to Ja Morant, leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio in 2020-21 and allowing for minimal dropoff when his counterpart is off the court.
That said, Memphis does not want to pay a 25-year old backup point guard any significant money, which is why they listed him on the trade market earlier this offseason. The fact that he’s still on the Grizzlies’ roster is the biggest surprise here.
The Grizzlies may elect to continue the 2020-21 season with Rajon Rondo as the team’s backup point guard, sending Jones elsewhere in a trade package.
Memphis Grizzlies F Kyle Anderson is still a likely trade candidate
Through all the clouds of smoke and dust, most fans will forget that a name floating around in the trade market in the early offseason was Kyle Anderson. “Slow-Mo” has been a great contributor for the Grizzlies, especially in the absence of Jaren Jackson Jr., where he had the best season of his career. Here’s what his numbers looked like last season compared to his career averages.
Career: 6.5 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 33.5% 3PT FG
2020-21: 12.4 PPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 36% 3PT FG
With Jaren Jackson Jr. fully healthy for the first time in a while, Anderson’s value to the Grizzlies diminishes in fast order. So what’s the best bet here?
Entering the last year of his contract, Memphis will have to make a move soon. Signing him to a long-term deal could complicate some of the contract situations regarding their younger players, including guys like JJJ, Ja Morant, and others. Memphis already proved that they’re willing to ship guys off on expiring contracts when they sent Grayson Allen to the Milwaukee bucks for a couple of second-round picks.
Kyle Anderson is a more versatile player though, and Memphis could get great value out of him. If you’re looking at tradeable players, Anderson is the highest-value guy on the team. Memphis should look to move him for a decent amount of capital in return.
As recently as this week, Anderson is reported as “available,” though the legitimacy of this claim is in question. There has been no official word from the Grizzlies.
Memphis Grizzlies F Brandon Clarke’s role in this team’s future remains unclear
I’m going to warn you out of the gate that you shouldn’t take this one too seriously. Yes, I think Brandon Clarke could potentially be traded but that is my opinion. The team hasn’t indicated that they’re looking to trade him.
Still, after a 2020-21 season where Clarke looked like a misfit, how do you not explore his value in the trade market?
I went into depth about the significant dropoff in production that Clarke saw in his second year in a post earlier this week. If you’re interested in that, you can click here. In short, virtually every offensive statistic imaginable saw a significant dropoff for Clarke on a team with a new big in Xavier Tillman and an emerging starter in Kyle Anderson.
Most fans will still hold out hope that Clarke is a strong player and, in all likelihood, the Grizzlies are holding out hope too. That said, they have to be considering the possibility of bundling him into a trade package if it positively benefits their future.
The Memphis Grizzlies may elect to keep Rajon Rondo as a short-term backup
This is a strange one. 12 hours ago, I would have told you that Rajon Rondo had little-to-no chance of sticking around on the Grizzlies’ roster this season. In every way, Patrick Beverley looked like the better option after the Grizzlies brought this pair of veteran point guards to Beale Street. It was Beverley, however, who would be shipped off before he could even set foot in Grind City.
I still don’t know how to interpret this, as Memphis has a reliable backup in Tyus Jones. Rondo doesn’t really offer much more long-term security than Jones, even if he won’t be due for as large of a contract. Right now, Rondo is only being paid $7.5 million. At the age of 35, his next contract, if there is one, will be much cheaper.
If the Grizzlies hadn’t made it clear that they want to trade Jones, I would expect Rondo to be gone in fast order. Still, it seems unlikely that the former Boston Celtics point guard sticks around in Memphis.
As a strong, experienced veteran guard, Memphis is likely shopping him around the league as we speak. Even so, he would be a great player to have around Ja Morant, as Rondo is one of the best facilitating point guards of his generation.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a bag full of misfit role players acquired in trades this offseason
Through the Grizzlies’ active offseason, they have acquired a handful of role players who could fit on this team’s roster. That said, none of these guys were hand-picked by Memphis, and instead, were likely thrown into a trade package so that the Grizzlies can salvage as much value as possible.
The three players that I’m notably referring to are Sam Merrill, Daniel Oturu, and Juan Hernangomez. The three of these players combined to average just 12 points per game.
Every one of these players could have a potential fit on this roster. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies currently have 18 players, three over the league’s 15-player limit. Would it make any sense to hold onto a role player on a team that’s already packed with young, promising talent?
It’s entirely likely that all of these guys are gone by the start of the 2021 season, though this is entirely dependant on what other teams are willing to give Memphis. The Grizzlies have their work cut out for them this offseason and it starts with flipping these role players.