What’s good, Griz fam? We are firmly in the offseason with the draft behind us and free agency in full swing. Right now, some of the young Grizzlies are hustling in Summer League, including the newly acquired draftees.
Let’s get into it.
First order of business — draft night acquisitions
There have been a few changes to the squad thus far in the offseason, starting with a trade to move up in the draft that sent De’Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Danny Green and the rights to the 23rd overall pick in the draft, David Roddy — a 6’5” guard out of Colorado State.
Also acquired by the Grizzlies on draft night — Memphis traded Walker Kessler and TyTy Washington Jr. (22nd and 29th overall picks respectively) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to Jake LaRavia — a 6’9” guard who spent two years at Indiana State before transferring to Wake Forest for the 2021-2022 season.
The Grizzlies sent cash and a 2024 2nd-round draft pick to the San Antonio Spurs for the rights to Memphis native Kennedy Chandler. And finally, with the 47th overall pick, Memphis selected Vince Williams Jr.
Second order of business — free agency moves
Pour one out for the homie Kyle Anderson, an unrestricted free agent this summer who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Happy trails and thanks for everything, Slowmo!
Backup point guard extraordinaire Tyus Jones signed a two-year contract with the Grizzlies for approximately 30 million dollars. Jones will make 15 million for the 2022-2023 season and 14 million for the 2023-2024 season, becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024. As a founding member of team run-Tyus-Jones-his-money, I am pleased to see that the Grizzlies did just that.
And of course, the biggest news of the offseason so far — Ja Morant signing a five-year designated rookie maximum extension contract worth up to $231 million. Of note is that this contract does not include a player option for the fifth year, meaning Morant is committed to the Grizzlies for the foreseeable future.
For the folks jonesing for a Grizzlies basketball fix, catch them tonight at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2 as they face off against the Brooklyn Nets. You can find the entire Summer League schedule here.
I’ll leave you with a highlight of my new favorite player Kenneth Lofton Jr., who is on a two-way contract with Memphis for the 2022-2023 season.
