Herrington: Four conclusions from a ‘quiet’ Grizzlies offseason
Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells and, Zach Edey, during the Grizzlies press conference introducing their 2024 NBA draft picks June 28. (Benjamin Naylor/The 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.
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