5 Creative ways Grizzlies can get under roster limit
By Tyler Watts
4. Salary dump Clarke and Williams
With Desmond Bane agreeing to a $205.9 million extension this summer, the Grizzlies have to worry about the second tax apron. His new deal does not start until the 2024-25 season, but Memphis has to plan if they want to stay under. Going over puts on severe roster restrictions, so the safest bet is avoiding it in advance.
Brandon Clarke is coming off a torn Achilles and just starting a four-year $50 million deal. He has never played more than 24.0 minutes per game and nobody knows how he will return after a significant injury. Memphis could put him on the block as a salary dump and hope that some team believes in his talent enough to acquire him.
Ziaire Williams was the tenth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but the 21-year-old has looked like a bust so far. His minutes and production decreased in year two, and he does not appear ready to help a contending team. There is a $6.1 million team option in his contract for the 2024-25 season, so teams could view him as an expiring contract.
The Memphis Grizzlies could look to salary dump both players to limit their spending this season and get under the second tax apron next year. It would be a bold strategy that could come back to bite the franchise, but it is an option on the table.