Grizzlies tabbed as 'great place' for 5x All-Star, 4x Champion to land this summer

The Memphis Grizzlies are a team in dire need of roster shakeups this offseason.

Following a 2023-24 campaign where they finished third-worst in the Western Conference Standings with a record of 27-55 and fifth-worst in net rating, it's evident that Taylor Jenkins' talent pool could use for a bit of bolstering, especially when considering they'll be aiming to get back into the contender conversation with Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Marcus Smart all slated to be healthy come next season.

While many are of the impression that Memphis should be gearing up to focus the majority of their attention on addressing their currently vacated center position, as they have no real answer down at the pivot following the midseason departure of Steven Adams, others such as Bleacher Report's Jermaine Womack are suggesting other areas could also use for some fine-tuning.

Considering their lackluster shooting efficiency that saw them place second to last in three-point percentage (34.6) and their desires to embark on a prosperous and, ultimately, banner-hanging postseason excursion, the sports personality believes the Grizzlies may wish to pursue a player like Klay Thompson, as he's a proven commodity who could help in both of these departments and more.

Memphis Grizzlies believed to be great place' for Klay Thompson to sign

"The reason why I feel Memphis is a great place for him is because, number one, I feel like Memphis is going to be back next year. They're going to get Ja back... they're going to get Jaren Jackson back, they're going to get [Brandon] Clarke back, Marcus Smart back. They're going to need somebody to stretch the defense, and I feel Klay Thompson does a great job still at knocking down the long-ball and stretching the defense. On that crew, I feel like they can do a good job at protecting him as a defender... I think he'll take over where Luke Kennard was because Luke Kennard is going to be a free agent and I feel like they could very well lose him in free agency so I feel like he can definitely help them."

- Jermaine Womack

Throughout his 13-year NBA journey, Thompson has proven capable of excelling at the highest of levels, and his five All-Star nods and four NBA Championships are direct indicators of such a sentiment.

Even this past season, despite it being one of his least memorable from a production perspective, he still wound up posting impressive averages of 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 38.7 percent from distance.

Adding his two-way skill set coupled with his experience of winning could prove to be invaluable to a Grizzlies team looking to take home their first-ever Larry O'Brien Trophy and, with his time running alongside guys like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green with the Warriors, it's safe to assume he'd be completely comfortable running alongside the bevy of stars and studs Memphis has at their disposal.

Of course, considering the team currently has the seventh-highest payroll heading into 2024-25, the fine details of actually snagging Thompson off the free agent market appear to be quite complex, especially considering he had turned down a two-year, $48 million contract extension with the Dubs prior to this past campaign and, in turn, is likely looking for an even loftier payday on the open market.

However, if there were any way they could convince the future Hall of Fame swingman to come out to the 38103 via discount in the name of winning, slotting him in at the three alongside a starting five consisting of Morant, Bane, and Jackson could have the makings of being truly lethal.

Add a center like, say, UConn's Donovan Clingan with the number nine pick, and this unit could once again be truly scary come next year's campaign.