A few snips since its a (well-worth it) subscription
> The most interesting thing about the team with the league’s second-best record in 2021-22 was what it didn’t do, not what it did. Rather than doubling down and shedding future assets in a push for the title, the Grizzlies let Anderson walk in free agency, traded Melton for a late first-round pick and used their last three roster spots on relatively late draft picks instead of veteran help.
> Virtually any other team in this position would have pushed to trade future picks and young players for win-now veterans, but the Grizzlies, with most of their key players still in their early 20s, are staying the course despite how close they came a year ago.
> But the biggest takeaway from Memphis’ offseason is that it still retains maximal optionality. The Grizzlies can pivot in virtually any direction because they still have all their own future draft picks, a bunch of good young players and a pristine cap situation. As I noted this spring, that ironically may be part of what motivated their relative inaction this past offseason.
> The process of riding out those options, and biding their time for a potential chips-in move that truly makes sense, could result in a half-step backward this season. Even if the playoff version of the Grizzlies is arguably just as potent as a year ago, the regular season one may not be; surely the bench won’t be as dominant, and there’s a giant question mark at power forward until Jackson returns. In an unforgiving Western Conference, that could push them down a bit from the heights of a year ago.
1 Comment
A few snips since its a (well-worth it) subscription
> The most interesting thing about the team with the league’s second-best record in 2021-22 was what it didn’t do, not what it did. Rather than doubling down and shedding future assets in a push for the title, the Grizzlies let Anderson walk in free agency, traded Melton for a late first-round pick and used their last three roster spots on relatively late draft picks instead of veteran help.
> Virtually any other team in this position would have pushed to trade future picks and young players for win-now veterans, but the Grizzlies, with most of their key players still in their early 20s, are staying the course despite how close they came a year ago.
> But the biggest takeaway from Memphis’ offseason is that it still retains maximal optionality. The Grizzlies can pivot in virtually any direction because they still have all their own future draft picks, a bunch of good young players and a pristine cap situation. As I noted this spring, that ironically may be part of what motivated their relative inaction this past offseason.
> The process of riding out those options, and biding their time for a potential chips-in move that truly makes sense, could result in a half-step backward this season. Even if the playoff version of the Grizzlies is arguably just as potent as a year ago, the regular season one may not be; surely the bench won’t be as dominant, and there’s a giant question mark at power forward until Jackson returns. In an unforgiving Western Conference, that could push them down a bit from the heights of a year ago.
> Prediction: 51-31, third in Western Conference