Premium

Herrington: Four conclusions from a ‘quiet’ Grizzlies offseason

By , Daily Memphian Updated: July 29, 2024 5:52 PM CT | Published: July 29, 2024 2:59 PM CT
Chris Herrington
Daily Memphian

Chris Herrington

Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He and his wife have two kids and, for reasons that sometimes elude him, three dogs.

In the NBA summer, fans yearn for splashy transactions, especially after a season as bad as the one the Memphis Grizzlies just had.

But with the offseason now mostly concluded, fans didn’t get much splash. Memphis summers are humid; the Grizzlies’ summer was a dry heat.

After reportedly attempting to trade up in the draft for Donovan Clingan, the team instead took another rookie center, reigning college player of the year Zach Edey, with its own pick, adding a couple of shooting prospects (Jaylen Wells, Cam Spencer) in the second round.

With Edey and Wells slated for the main roster, the team entered free agency with 14 of 15 spots filled and with a team option for the return of shooter Luke Kennard. 

The team declined Kennard’s $14.8 million option but seem nearly certain to capitalize on a weak free agent market for wing shooters to bring him back at a lower price. As of this writing, a Kennard re-signing has not happened, but it is not merely expected; it is presumed. 

Topics

Subscriber Only Memphis Grizzlies Zach Edey Jaylen Wells Cam Spencer

Thank you for supporting local journalism.

Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.

Chris Herrington on demand

Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Chris Herrington's stories as they’re published.

Enter your e-mail address

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here