The Grizzlies went 20-5 without Ja Morant last season because of their wonderful depth.
Memphis is losing some of that depth – though not quite as much as expected.
The Grizzlies are re-signing Tyus Jones, but Kyle Anderson is leaving for the Timberwolves.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Free agent G Tyus Jones is returning to the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-year, $30M deal, his agent Kevin Bradbury of @REP1Basketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
Kyle Anderson has agreed to a two-year, $18M deal to join the Timberwolves, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of @wassbasketball tell ESPN. https://t.co/fWzhFhVfkx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
In a relatively quiet free agency, Anderson is one of the best players to switch teams so far. Minnesota definitely needed more depth at forward, and a smart player like Anderson should fit right in.
With Anderson not taking the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (which starts at $10.49 million and could be worth up to $21,504,500 over two years), the Timberwolves can use the rest of the MLE to sign second-rounder Josh Minott to longer than a two-year contract.
Memphis might be ready to promote Ziaire Williams into a bigger role with Anderson gone. The Grizzlies also added Jake LaRavia (No. 19) and David Roddy (No. 23) in the draft, though rookies are rarely ready to help a team this good.
It seemed Memphis could also lose Tyus Jones, who’s overqualified as Morant’s backup. But the Grizzlies will pay to keep the low-mistake Jones. Jones and Morant can play together in two-point guard lineups. And as last season showed, Jones was quite valuable when Morant sat.
The point guard-needy Wizards were a popularly predicted destination for Jones. Washington instead traded for Monte Morris and signed Delon Wright.
Wojnarowski:
Free agent guard Delon Wright has agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal to sign with the Washington Wizards, his agent Greg Lawrence of @wassbasketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
The Wizards are having a nice offseason. They took care of their most important business by getting Bradley Beal to re-sign. A quality all-around player, Wright can play both backcourt spots, beside Beal or Morris.
With the Hawks trading for Dejounte Murray, Wright was expendable in Atlanta.
