The four-year, $28 million contract Tayshaun Prince signed with the Pistons in 2011 didn’t necessarily make him overpaid, but it was definitely too long.
Prince will make $7,235,955 and $7,707,865 the next two seasons, seasons that will end with him 34 and 35 years old. He played fairly well for an improved Grizzlies team, but there was a reason the Pistons traded him for Jose Calderon’s expiring contract. Though Detroit wanted to use Calderon to make a playoff run and then re-sign him, simply dumping Prince in the three-team Rudy Gay trade was worthwhile on its own.
Now, Memphis realizes it too might have gotten all the value it can from Prince. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (hat tip: Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors):
Before adding Corey Brewer for the mid-level exception, the Wolves had an opportunity to acquire Memphis forward Tayshaun Prince for minimal in return.
At his age and salary, Prince doesn’t have much trade value. But the Grizzlies are a winning team, and on the court, losing Prince would likely hurt them. Is Quincy Pondexter really ready to fill a much larger role? When the difference could be winning a playoff series or not, now isn’t the time for Memphis to take that chance.