- Veteran scorer Flip Murray could give the Grizzlies some much-needed punch off the bench.
The Grizzlies were nice enough to keep relatively quiet during my vacation the past couple of weeks, engaging in only one minor deal that likely leaves only one more minor move to go before the regular season. Let’s break down these past and future transactions:
The Deal: The Grizzlies essentially took on the $3.6 million contract of center Steven Hunter from the Nuggets in exchange for a first-round pick in 2010, with the Nuggets covering part of Hunter’s salary in “cash considerations.” The Nuggets save money via reduced luxury tax burden and the Grizzlies now have three first-round picks in what is projected to be a good 2010 draft. The Grizzlies have gotten grief for all of their recent cash-considerations deals, including, occasionally, from me, but if the team wasn’t going to use that cap space to sign a significant player, then this was a pretty good use of it even though the team has no use for Hunter.
The Vet Guard: The Hunter acquisition brings the team’s roster to 13 players, which is the minimum, but I’ve been told that the team is highly likely to carry 14 players and it looks like a veteran guard of some sort is likely to be signed for that 14th slot. Though Allen Iverson seems unlikely to be signed by the Grizzlies at this point, until he signs somewhere else he probably can’t be ruled out. Three more likely names mentioned by the Commercial Appeal today: Jamal Tinsley, Flip Murray, and Tarence Kinsey.
