2019-20 Memphis Grizzlies

2018-19: 33.49
Draft picks: 2

Signed for next season ($119.8m): Mike Conley, Chandler Parsons, Jonas Valenciunas, Avery Bradley, Kyle Anderson, CJ Miles, Jaren Jackson, Brunco Caboclo, Ivan Rabb, Dillon Brooks, Jevon Carter
Not all teams think this way, but I'm thinking...TANK! No chance they'll be any good, so might as well take aim at rock bottom. Conley is the best player and greatest star, I'd offer him to the Knicks for Frank Nkiltina and #3 pick. (Boy, the Knicks off-season plans sure tanked lately, huh? #3 ain't gonna do nothing for an empty Knicks squad, go ahead and redeem it for 2 years of a lovable badass and build out your free agent recruiting around Conley as your PG; then re-sign Deandre Jordan, aim for a guy like Patrick Beverley, then let Durant know you still want him...then just pray and remember that even if you get Durant, you're still gonna suck next year) The Grizzlies get rid of their biggest paycheck, get one last look at a maybe re-signable PG, and then start the re-build around Ja Morant and RJ Barrett to go with Jaren Jackson. Keeping Conley looks swell but he won't be able to win now--especially if the Grizz add Ja Morant to that roster instead of a scorer that can help Conley--so now is the time to move on. I think this is a good contract for trying to swipe a high draft pick.
If the Grizzlies could figure out how to make Chandler Parsons disappear, they would invest in that technology. Worst signing of the last decade? (Hmmm...no, it's still John Wall) Can they swap him for a similar expiring contract and then cut him (like, say straight up for Solomon Hill)?
Valenciunas has opted out of his contract--but I think the idea is that the Grizzlies will give him a raise. I didn't see enough of him to know if he fit with Jackson; if so, go ahead and give him 3 yrs/$60m I guess, but you gotta figure he's a bridge to the future, not the future. (And if he wasn't a fit with Jackson, then let him move on)
I suspect they cut Avery Bradley. I can see Bradley hooking on with a team that dreams of the playoffs (Heat or Hornets), He'd just be killing time in Memphis.
I never quite understood why the Grizzlies gave Kyle Anderson the deal they did but they've got him for three more years. He's their 6th man, might as well play him like that (whether he can do it or not).
CJ Miles is probably looking to play well early on and be trade bait by February. I bet the Grizzlies go into the season expecting him to play regular rotation minutes, perhaps even start at SF. If he's good, they trade him (to Golden State for a late 1st rounder or maybe someone like Utah or Denver), if not then they ride out his final year and let him walk.
Jaren Jackson is the cornerstone of the future (along with soon-to-be-picked Ja Morant), give him however many minutes he wants.
I can see them letting Caboclo go but he is still cheap and available for many minutes (and the Grizzlies aren't looking to win games, so...).
I thought Ivan Rabb was gonna be a better pro, I think it's strange how far he...never really got. But he is still young, cheap and he's already in house, so I reckon they'll give him some 2nd string run next season.
Dillon Brooks is still an intriguing young player. He missed all of last year (all of it?) but was promisingly competent in his rookie season. Still young, still intriguing, if he fits with Morant, then he's a keeper.


This summer's free agents: Justin Holiday, Delon Wright, Joakim Noah, Tyler Dorsey
I don't see any of those dudes coming back with Memphis next season. Maybe Holiday but I think he can hook on with a better squad.


Draft: Oh, they're taking Ja Morant (Murray State) at #2. Zion is clearly #1, Morant is clearly #2, I don't see any movement on those two picks before draft day. Morant is an exciting ball handler, play maker and I think he'll grow into a reliable scorer, too (reminds me of Jrue Holiday: pretty good at everything, not bad at anything, maybe even a better athlete than Holiday). And to do it properly he'll need playing time, so it's time for Conley to go.


Next year's lineup:
PG Morant, SG Brooks, SF Parsons, PF Jackson, C Valenciunas with Anderson, Miles, and Caboclo off the bench. That's pretty thin--and that's without Conley or Bradley, both of whom I think will be gone. I don't see any lineup available to them that wins games next season, which is why I'd go ahead and start thinking tank right away. Take what you can get for Conley, Bradley and Parsons (which might not be much), start building around Morant and Jackson and hope the new coach (Taylor Jenkins) is a genius that is loved by his new young stars and think only about trades that involved bringing back 1st round picks.