3 best free agent wings available for the Memphis Grizzlies

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.

2. Kelly Oubre Jr.

2022-23 proved to be quite a sound season for Kelly Oubre Jr.

Registering 32.3 minutes a night, the eighth-year pro went on to post impressive averages of 20.3 points (career-high), 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals.

That said, he suffered from nagging injuries throughout, as he was held to only 48 games on the season, and struggled mightily with his efficiency, particularly as a scorer where he shot just 43.1 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from deep.

Both factors likely have played a major role in why he still remains unsigned 40-plus days into the 2023 free-agency period.

Despite these negative attributes, however, there are still some who suggest that adding Oubre to this Grizzlies team could prove to be a quality move worth making, and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has gone as far as to tab him as the club’s “top free-agent target” they could still look to pursue.

"“Memphis could use more length on the wings. More athleticism and shot-making in those spots, too. Basically, it could use someone like Kelly Oubre Jr., who might sense a chance to improve his stock by contributing to a contending team like the Grizzlies,” Buckley wrote."

Only 27 years old, Oubre still has time to hone his craft and bring his exceptional size (6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan) and natural athleticism to its fullest potential which, in Buckley’s eyes, is somewhere in the ballpark of “a bouncy, three-and-D wing who can find his own shot.”

On a minimum deal, giving the wing a chance to prove himself on a legitimate contender could be a low-risk, high-reward move Memphis may want to strongly consider.

1. Hamidou Diallo

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about former Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks’ game, particularly last season, was his incredibly inefficient long-range shooting abilities (shot 32.6 percent in 2022-23) coupled with his eagerness to serve as a highly utilized three-point sniper (ranked second on the team in attempts with 6.0 per game).

Though a player such as Hamidou Diallo may not do much in helping raise the bar of Memphis’ shooting prowess from beyond the arc (a career 24.7 percent shooter), he also wouldn’t even try to do so (averages 1.1 attempts from deep for his career) which, in an ironic sense, could actually make him a positive replacement for Brooks.

The 25-year-old prides himself on his strength and two-way toughness over his long-range shooting stroke and is coming off one of his best seasons as a result of honing in on such a concept.

Severely underutilized on the tanking Detroit Pistons, Diallo only saw 17.8 minutes on average during his 56 games played. That said, per 100 possessions he boasted stellar averages of 25.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 steals while shooting a career-high 57.3 percent from the field.

With his steadily improving mid-range game (shot 48.5 percent on such attempts from New Year’s Eve on), solid defensive instincts, and willingness to take the backseat in the scoring department to focus on the little things, taking a swing on the 25-year-old could be an interesting move for this Grizzlies front office to consider.