The Grizzlies have one of the NBA’s best assets in the No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft.
They also have one of the NBA’s worst assets in Chandler Parsons, the injury-prone forward who has two years and $49,209,769 remaining on his contract.
What if Memphis combined both those?
Michael Scotto of The Athletic:
The No. 4 pick’s value is probably more positive than Parsons’ value is negative. Rebuilding teams with cap space like the Hawks and Bulls would likely jump at paying Parsons if it meant landing such a high pick.
But would anyone send the Grizzlies enough value to bridge the gap? Depends what they’re looking for.
Robert Pera just completed an expensive buys-sell process to keep control of the team. He might want to unload salary. It’d be a real shame for Memphis fans if that meant sacrificing the No. 4 pick, though.
The Grizzlies – partially by their own choosing, partially by their contracts – are pretty locked into a Marc Gasol-Mike Conley core. Dumping Parsons wouldn’t create a massive amount of flexibility to upgrade the roster. It’d just cost whatever sweetener, No. 4 pick or otherwise, is necessary to dump his contract.
It can be tough to tell when a team is just exploring its options. Memphis should want to know the value of Parsons and the No. 4 pick, as it’s helpful to know the value of all assets.
But the possibility the Grizzlies would use the No. 4 pick to rid itself of Parsons – rather than use it to add a top prospect – is concerning.