'Realistic' Grizzlies offseason target as underwhelming as their 2023-24 campaign

Less than 24 hours after their 2023-24 campaign came to its bitter end, GM Zach Kleiman revealed that one of his primary goals heading into the summer was to bolster the frontcourt rotation for the Memphis Grizzlies, particularly when it comes to their center depth.

As a result, fans and media pundits have been consistently sharing their thoughts and ideas on how the front office could look to approach this desire, with proposals ranging from blockbuster trades to savvy draft-day selections.

Recently, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes dropped his two-cents into the conversation by discussing the concept of "realistic" targets the ball club could look to pursue during the offseason and, to him, the player leading the charge in this category is LA Clippers veteran, Mason Plumlee.

Mason Plumlee viewed as 'realistic' target for Grizzlies this summer

Citing their lack of cap flexibility (projected to have somewhere in the realm of $5.2 million in spending power this summer) as a result of their eighth-highest payroll coupled with the fact that star Jaren Jackson Jr. has proven to fair better with a more traditional big manning the pivot, Hughes believes that, in many ways, Plumlee could be an optimal target for the Grizzlies to pursue.

"... Mason Plumlee is exactly that kind of center. He's also a better ball-handler and passer than Steven Adams was, which should open up a handful more catch-and-shoot opportunities for Jackson, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane."

Grant Hughes

Throughout his 11-year NBA career, Plumlee has made a name for himself as being a steady and consistent center who can gobble up boards and block shots at an efficient rate. This past season, he did both of these things with per 100 possession averages of 17.1 boards and 1.2 swats to go along with 17.9 points on 56.9 percent shooting from the field.

With his particular skill set along with his 6-foot-10, 254-pound build, it's easy to see why the 34-year-old is being viewed as a worthwhile under-the-radar option for this cash-strapped Grizzlies team to pursue during the offseason.

Of course, after the putrid 27-55 campaign they just had, the franchise's faithful followers are likely to be less than thrilled to see Plumlee being tabbed as a "realistic" candidate to fill the team's 6-foot-11 sized hole at the five created by the departure of Steven Adams this year.

Frankly, the idea of adding on a low-usage, low-cost big with ample experience in the association may be intriguing for this win-now Grizzlies team, but, considering they hold the rights to the ninth-overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, there are bound to be players available who sport a similar style of play, come at a similar cost, and, though have lacking experience at the pro level, are both younger and more spry than the aged and limited veteran.

In other words, addressing Memphis' vacated center position in June may be both more entertaining and, from a future-minded perspective, beneficial than doing so with a Plumlee signing post-July 6.