Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies made the decision to release recently acquired big man Mamadi Diakite, ridding themselves of the remanences (at least, the relevant ones) of the Ziaire Williams trade to the Brooklyn Nets executed earlier this summer.
Though the move further cuts back on the ball club's rather lofty payroll heading into 2024-25, simultaneously, it leaves Memphis in a bit of an odd position, as they now employ just 13 full-scale players which, per league requirements, is one shy of a minimum roster amount.
With training camp roughly a month away, Zach Kleiman and company may wish to pick up the pace and get a move on when it comes to scouring the markets for talents to sign to reach the aforementioned quota and, while pickings may be slim at this point in the offseason, there are a few names the Grizzlies may be interested in bringing on at a full-time rate.
Players Memphis Grizzlies could target to fill-out roster
Tristan Thompson
As noted, pickings are certainly slim when it comes to trying to fill out the rest of this Grizzlies roster but there are far worse ideas out there than snatching up the likes of veteran big, Tristan Thompson on a low-cost contract.
At 33 years old and with 12 years of mileage under his belt, no one should be expecting Thompson to serve as a major difference-maker within a rotation or log serious minutes on a regular basis.
Luckily, with the likes of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. all presumed to be healthy and back in the fold, Memphis doesn't need such a player.
What they could use for, however, is someone who can help get these stars open looks on offense, pull down second-chance opportunities, and has experience serving as a consistent contributor on winning teams.
While he may have lost a step in the athletic department, Thompson is someone who can provide all of these attributes.
The 2016 NBA Champion has seen deep postseason action on five separate occasions and has made it to the playoffs in all but three seasons during his career. Throughout this time, he has posted solid averages of 8.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and just shy of a block per game on 52.1 percent shooting while registering an impressive rebounding percentage of 17.6.
Bringing on someone of his skill set and expertise, no matter how low his stock has become over the last few years, could prove to be a solid way of not only filling out the remainder of the roster but adding skillsets that could seriously benefit coach Taylor Jenkins' scheme all at an affordable rate.
Bismack Biyombo
Sticking to the idea of filling out the center depth behind rookie Zach Edey, Bismack Biyombo could be another interesting player worth considering the idea of shelling out an offer to.
Throughout his 13 years in the association, the former lottery pick has proven himself to be a big-bodied presence down low who can snatch down rebounds and swat shots at an effective rate.
Outside of the rock-wall screen setting abilities Tristan Thompson has, essentially the idea of adding Biyombo is the same, though the plus is that he's already proven capable of meshing with Memphis' style of play.
For three months early on into last season the veteran called Grind City home.
Seeing action on 30 occasions throughout his tenure (27 of which were starts), Biyombo showed himself to be a fine contributor within coach Jenkins' rotation, as he posted averages of 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 56.3 percent from the floor and registering a defensive plus-minus of +1.6.
Now back on the free agent market following a brief, second-half stint with the OKC Thunder, the 32-year-old is looking for a new contract for year 14, and, at a cheap cost, the Grizzlies bringing him aboard could make some serious sense.
Scotty Pippen Jr.
While there may not necessarily be any urgency to sign Scotty Pippen Jr. to a full-scale deal considering he's already attached to a steal of a two-way pact with the Grizzlies, if there's any player out there deserving of being named the 14 member of the roster, it's him.
From the moment he threw on his navy, blue, and gold threads, the point guard proved that he was capable of not only producing in Memphis' scheme, but thriving in it.
In 21 games and 16 starts with the team in 2023-24, Pippen posted impressive averages of 12.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on 49.3 percent shooting from the floor and 41.7 percent shooting from deep.
During this offseason's Summer League play, he only managed to up his level of production while taking on a bigger role within the rotation, as he dropped sensational per-game averages of 21.5 points, 8.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 steals as the club's starting one.
Behind his high-end production level, the Grizzlies soared to the championship round with a record of 5-1, while Pippen personally clinched a spot on the First Team All-Summer League roster in the process.
Still only 23 years old and entering just his third year in the league, Pippen has showcased the type of skill set that, just a few years back, made primary reserve to Ja Morant, Tyus Jones, a beloved member of the organization.
As we witnessed last season, outside of their star point guard Memphis seems to be lacking in the set-up artist and offensive creation department. Pippen has the makings of a pure floor general and, sooner or later, will likely find himself coming onto the team as a full-scale member.
With the recent departure of Diakite, perhaps such as scenario with fall into the former camp.