3 players who won't play in Memphis next season
The six-team trade including the Wizards, Clippers, Pistons, Bucks, Mavericks, and Grizzlies was finally made official today. In total, the Grizzlies acquired Isaiah Stewart, AJ Johnson, D'Angelo Russell, a protected future first-round pick, three future second-round picks, and a future second-round pick swap.
The Grizzlies sent Santi Aldama and the draft rights to Tarik Biberovic to the Mavericks and gave the Pistons three future second-round picks. Overall, this is a very exciting deal for Grizzlies fans, and Isaiah Stewart should be a huge rim-protecting boost and the perfect culture builder in Memphis.
However, given the fact the Grizzlies have to clear multiple roster spots to sign their draft class and get to 15 total standard contracts, they will have to move on from multiple players, including new ones they just acquired. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will likely get traded or bought out soon, but here are three players the Grizzlies will move on from next.
1. D'Angelo Russell
The Grizzlies simply have a logjam of guards on the roster, and it doesn't really make sense for D'Angelo Russell to play in Memphis. Russell exercised his $5.9 million player option this offseason and was simply salary dumped by the Wizards. The main selling point of this portion of the six-team trade was for the Grizzlies to acquire more second-round draft capital.
Russell is coming off a season where he averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 26 games. However, his efficiency was extremely poor, shooting just 40.5% from the field and making only 29.5% of his threes. The most likely outcome appears to be the Grizzlies waiving Russell in the near future.
2. AJ Johnson
Acquired from the Mavericks, it hasn't been an easy NBA path for AJ Johnson. Still just 21 years old, AJ Johnson was selected 23rd overall by the Bucks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he has struggled to carve out an NBA role, and he now finds himself on his fourth NBA team.
While AJ Johnson could be an intriguing flyer, it just seems unlikely that he will appear in a single game for the Grizzlies. AJ Johnson has struggled as a perimeter shooter early on in his NBA career, but he still deserves an extended look throughout the league, even though it will likely not be in Memphis.
3. Kris Murray
Kris Murray was one of the two players acquired in the Ja Morant trade. Jerami Grant should slot in as a starter for the Grizzlies, but Murray will also very likely not play a game in Memphis. Similar to GG Jackson II and Taylor Hendricks, Murray was another selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. Rayan Rupert, who was just on a two-way deal this past season for the Grizzlies, was also in the same draft as well.
Unfortunately for Murray, it will simply be difficult to find consistent minutes in Memphis given the fact that the Grizzlies already have multiple young forwards at both the 3 and 4 spots. It seems likely that Murray will also be waived, similar to D'Angelo Russell, but it cannot fully be ruled out that he is rerouted to another team this offseason via trade.
The Grizzlies still have access to their full TPE from the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade and have multiple roster spaces to clear. Unfortunately, these three players will likely be a part of the inevitable roster crunch in Memphis.
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