NBA Trade Grades: Memphis Grizzlies
Since taking over the general manager position in Memphis in 2019, Zach Kleiman has made some fantastic roster moves to set this Grizzlies franchise up for a lot of success moving forward. Trading Jonas Valanciunas earlier this offseason may not be a move many Grizzlies fans enjoyed seeing since Valanciunas was a fan-favorite, but this move ended up saving them a lot of money moving forward.
Not to mention, Kleiman was able to turn this trade into a handful of draft picks and cap space moving forward that Memphis could use not just to target some key free agents down the line, but also retain some of their young stars in Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. when they are up for contract extensions.
This move to trade Bledsoe to the Clippers was yet another one of Kleiman’s “salary moves” to build for the future. Yes, Memphis does take on an extra $3.6M in salaries for the 2021-22 season by trading Eric Bledsoe to the Clippers for Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu, but all of these guys they get are entering the final year of their contracts.
Memphis has no long-term liability connected to these guys like they did with Bledsoe, so they will be able to free up over $20M in cap space entering next offseason when Beverley, Rondo and Oturu’s contracts expire, that is assuming that they would keep all three of these guys, which seems unlikely at this point.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Lillard, Hield, Ingles, Siakam
With the Grizzlies only having $45.7M in guaranteed contracts now for next season, plus $18.5M in team options and then $20.6M in outstanding qualifying offers that will be made to pending free agents, the Grizzlies are targeted to be roughly $30M under the salary cap for the 2022-23 season, allowing them to play around next offseason.
Moving on from Bledsoe’s contract allows the Grizzlies to have options, something they have not had as a franchise in a long time. With a ton of young, high-potential talents already on their roster, the future is very bright for Memphis, especially given how smart Zach Kleiman is as their GM.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Lillard, Hield, Ingles, Siakam
The Grizzlies could very much still look to trade Beverley and Rondo and possibly waive Oturu since they now have 17 players under-contract for next season, but overall, this is a small problem for them to fix. Memphis did everything they needed to this offseason and while they may not be title contenders yet, they are definitely going to be a tough, young team in the Western Conference for many years to come that is only going to get better with time.
Grade: B+
