The Memphis Grizzlies have not made many moves this summer as they have almost the same exact roster they had last season. However, the very little changes they have made may improve the team slightly.
The Grizzlies let Mike Miller walk in costless agency, knowing that Vince Carter was going to sign with them. Carter could supply three-point shooting like Miller, but the difference is that Carter would be a great leader off the bench and could hit big time shots during crunch time. Carter is a slight upgrade for the Grizzlies bench.
Before the start of costless agency, the Grizzlies signed Zach Randolph to a well-deserved contract extension. It was fully expected that he would agree to the extension, and it was definitely a superb move by Memphis. Randolph has been the go-to-scorer on the team for a while now, and his stellar rebounding has been a huge part of his game and the team’s success.
Memphis has made a couple of minor moves, including re-signing Beno Udrih and giving Earl Clark a non-guaranteed contract. Clark has a good shot of making the team and will provide frontcourt flexibility off the bench. Udrih was impressive during the playoffs as he tacked on some of the scoring and play making responsibilities for the Grizzlies bench, while Nick Calathes was serving his suspension. Memphis knew it had to keep Udrih as a third point guard, especially since Calathes will continue to serve his suspension when the season begins.
The Memphis Grizzlies will remain with the same core players and pretty much the same bench unit from last season. The have made a slender upgrade to their roster, but nothing too extraordinary.
Grade: C+
Depth Chart:
PG: Mike Conley/Nick Calathes/Beno Udrih/Joe Jackson
SG: Tony Allen/Courtney Lee/Quincy Pondexter
SF: Tayshaun Prince/Vince Carter/Luke Hancock
PF: Zach Randolph/Jon Leuer/Earl Clark
C: Marc Gasol/Kosta Koufos
Coach: Dave Joerger