Grizzlies and Jazz fans got horrible news today. Vince Williams Jr. suffered an ACL tear after being shoved by Tari Eason during Utah's loss to the Houston Rockets on February 23. Despite just being traded to the Jazz in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal, Utah ended up waiving him today not long after his injury.
Today was a harsh reminder of how unlucky Williams Jr. has been and how cruel the basketball operations side of basketball can be. Originally selected 47th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Grizzlies, it has been an injury-riddled career for the 25-year-old. However, this is easily the worst setback of his NBA career so far.
Williams Jr. likely would've been a real contributor for the Jazz
Even though Williams Jr. has had to battle through injuries throughout his time in the NBA, it is easy to see why he was a part of the trade package. He is a disruptive POA defender and also did a lot of the dirty work that Grizzlies fans appreciated while he was in Memphis. Part of the reason the Grizzlies traded Williams Jr. in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal was to create more flexibility for their rebuild. However, that does not mean his skillset lacks value.
Even though Williams Jr. has the skillset that many teams covet, he is not going to be able to play until the 2027-28 season most likely. Unfortunately, the long recovery time led to the Jazz making the decision to waive him. It makes sense from the Jazz perspective since Williams Jr. won't be able to contribute for them next season, but it is a seriously bad break for him.
Williams Jr. was inconsistent during the 2024-25 season but was starting to look closer to his previous best that landed him a standard contract. Williams Jr. averaged 7.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 40 games for the Jazz and Grizzlies this season.
A Grizzlies reunion could make sense
It still can't exactly be ruled out that the Jazz or another team signs Williams Jr. as he inches closer to full strength. However, the Grizzlies roster will likely undergo more movement in the next couple of offseasons, which could lead to an open spot for their end-of-bench rotation. Even though the Grizzlies have plenty of promising young talent, bringing back someone like Williams Jr., who is familiar with Memphis, could prove to be beneficial.
One of the main things the Grizzlies have to get right in the rebuild is surrounding their new core with gritty vets that can impact both sides of the ball. Even though Williams Jr. wouldn't be a core rotation piece, he could hypothetically give the Grizzlies quality end-of-bench minutes. Today's Vince Williams Jr. news is very unfortunate, but a team will be getting a quality player if his ACL recovery goes well.