Memphis Grizzlies: 5 biggest questions heading into free agency

The Memphis Grizzlies are in the midst of an important offseason, fully realizing that the window is now open to compete for a championship. How will they approach an important offseason to build on last season’s success of having the second-best record in the NBA?

The team will have to make decisions on free agents Tyus Jones, Kyle Anderson, Jarrett Culver, and Yves Pons. They will also need to decide if they want to shore up any weak points in the depth chart, such as at the five (center) or the one (point guard).

Let’s dive into the five biggest questions for the Grizzlies heading into free agency, which is set to begin around 5 p.m. central time on June 30.

No. 5: How much money will the Memphis Grizzlies have to spend in free agency?

I detailed this extensively in an earlier piece, which you can read here. I’m projecting that the Grizzlies will have just north of $20 million to spend this offseason if they don’t re-sign any players, cut Tyrell Terry and give No. 47 overall pick Vince Williams a two-way deal.

Most expect the Grizzlies to try and prioritize Tyus Jones, see if they can make him an offer to stay in Memphis. There have been rumblings for a while now that Jones wants to be somewhere in which he can be a full-time starter.

Jones signed a 3-year, $26 million contract in July of 2019 to join the Grizzlies. He’s set to command a significant increase in pay, deservedly so.

The Grizzlies should give him an offer somewhere in the $10-13 million range per season, maybe a little more if he signs just a one-year extension.

One year at $14.5 million or three years at $13 million ($39 million) seem like a fair market price for the 26-year-old.

This would leave the Grizzlies slightly more than the mid-level exception to go out and try to find a third-tier free agent to help provide bench scoring or take a swing at someone with a bit more mobility to back up Steven Adams next season.