At NBA trade deadline, Memphis Grizzlies punt on this season as a big decision awaits | Giannotto

Gut reactions after the Memphis Grizzlies pulled off a series of mostly minor, but forward-looking moves as part of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.

1. The Grizzlies are waiting to make their biggest roster decision

Once Steven Adams got traded last week, Memphis needed a new frontcourt starter to pair with Jaren Jackson Jr. for next season. After the trade deadline, it still needs one – and even traded the back-up center and Jackson’s longtime friend, Xavier Tillman Sr. The deals leave the Grizzlies with a gaping hole in the short term, but it does make clear what the team’s priority will be this offseason.

Memphis is in the market for a center, or at least another player inside to go along with Jackson and forward Brandon Clarke. The decision tree goes in several directions, and likely involves the $14.7 million team option looming on Luke Kennard’s contract.

The Grizzlies could grab a center in free agency, but that might preclude Kennard remaining on the roster given the current salary cap restraints. They could make a trade using what should be a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA draft or Kennard’s contract (or both) to get a center from another team. They could use that draft pick to select a rookie center as well. They will have to consider going into the luxury tax to maximize the next two years with Morant, Jackson and Bane all making big money.

General Manager Zach Kleiman didn’t have to make a choice Thursday, but he’ll have one to make eventually before next season begins. The right one will help dictate how this trade deadline is remembered for the Grizzlies. Whether it's a player who's in the same vein as Adams, or a player with entirely different strengths, this is the most straightforward way the Grizzlies can immediately improve the nucleus around their core.

2. Some fears about the Grizzlies' roster were confirmed

The Grizzlies had too many players who weren’t contributing enough and clogging up the payroll heading into a pivotal moment for the franchise. That has been the looming concern all season, and it no longer feels like an opinion. Kleiman’s actions the past week or so revealed he ultimately agreed with that sentiment.

The players Memphis got in return for Adams, Tillman and David Roddy mattered less than the future roster and salary cap relief the Grizzlies got in the deals. That Kleiman was willing to trade those three for so little, relatively speaking, suggests he wanted to trade others, especially among the team’s glut of underwhelming wings. The continued presence of Ziaire Williams and Jake LaRavia on the roster, in particular, speaks volumes about their value – and the preseason decision to exercise their contract option for next year.

Memphis needed to reshape the back end of its roster without taking on any more negative assets, and this was a successful first step towards that goal. But there’s still some clutter left that would be nice to remove between now and next season. With so much of the salary cap tied up in Morant, Bane and Jackson, the Grizzlies ability to be effectively cost conscious with the rest of the rotation is now the most important part of Kleiman's job.

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3. It’s time for the Grizzlies’ stars to throttle down this season

These moves are the most obvious sign yet that the Grizzlies are no longer focused on the competitive aspect of this season. Given that, it’s time to consider what to do with Jackson, Bane and Marcus Smart the rest of the season.

The Grizzlies just sat Jackson, a stalwart in the midst of this season’s horrible run of injury luck, during the recent two-game road swing through Boston and New York. I’d expect more of that – and more Vince Williams Jr., GG Jackson and a bunch of players who are either unlikely to be here or have major roles beyond this season – for the time being.

The more intriguing subplot revolves around Bane, Smart and Clarke, who are all currently out due to injury. The team previously released timelines that would allow them to return to the lineup before the end of the season, but how smart is that (no pun intended)?

Though the organization has rarely tanked a season before, the worst outcome at this point would be for Jackson, Bane, Smart, Clarke – or anyone who's a potential rotation piece – to suffer an additional injury or unnecessary wear and tear that affects next season when winning games actually matters again. Figuring out how to keep key players healthy, while also bettering the Grizzlies' draft positioning in the process, is the only real goal remaining on the table.

It’s a hard reality to swallow for fans with two more months left, but the Grizzlies are punting on the rest of this season without saying it out loud. It's the right path to take after so much else went haywire for this team over the past year.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on X: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: NBA trade deadline: Memphis Grizzlies' big roster question still looms