3 best free agent wings available for the Memphis Grizzlies
By Mark Nilon
The first month of NBA free agency is officially in the rearview, yet there are a plethora of intriguing names still residing on the open market. While the Memphis Grizzlies may have a full roster, not all in tow are attached to guaranteed deals.
What this stipulation means is that there’s still room for the front office to make alterations and additions should they see a move having quality upside potential and, based on the club’s needs coupled with the available crop of free agent talents, there’s a strong chance that they could easily entertain such a move.
As things currently stand, the most glaring weakness found within Taylor Jenkins’ rotation resides at their starting wing position thanks to the departure of long-tenured veteran, Dillon Brooks this summer.
Though there is a strong possibility that the coaching staff will simply just look to address this void internally, should they seek external help there are a few options that are worthy of their consideration.
Best free agent wings Grizzlies could still sign
3. Will Barton
Considering they’ve made a strong effort to bring aboard veteran talents this summer what with the savvy additions of both Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose, there’s a chance that GM Zach Kleiman could be interested in going down a similar path should he search for a FA wing talents.
If this proves to be the case, then Will Barton might just be one of the better options at his disposal.
A soon-to-be 12-year pro, this past season the 32-year-old seemingly took a liking to serving as a mentor on a young and promising roster in the Toronto Raptors, as he opted to sign with the youth-movement club upon his mid-season buyout from the Washington Wizards over legitimate title-contenders.
On top of this quality, throughout his career, Barton has established himself as a highly efficient 3-and-D contributor out on the wing and, since 2015-16, has posted impressive per-game averages of 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 36.5 percent shooting from deep.
Though 2022-23 was far from his finest showing from an on-court perspective (6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists), he still managed to cash in on 36.7 percent of his long-range attempts and was just one season removed from posting 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per night.
Assuming last year was just an outlier, taking a chance on Barton with a minimum-cost contract could make for a sound move both from a leadership and, hopefully, production standpoint.