With Steven Adams out, what can the Memphis Grizzlies do? Here are some options

Losing Steven Adams for the 2023-24 season is a punch straight to the ribs of the Memphis Grizzlies. It hurts, but because it happened before the regular season, there's still time for the team to recover and adjust.

Adams will undergo season-ending surgery on his right knee, which he injured in a game in late January. He did not play the rest of the 2022-23 season because of the PCL sprain, but was believed to be making strong progress in the preseason. He was a full participant in scrimmages and played in two games, but ongoing knee instability led to the decision for surgery.

Being without one of the NBA's best screeners, rebounders and playmaking centers hurts the depth and lowers the Grizzlies' ceiling. Xavier Tillman Sr. filled in admirably last season in 29 starts, but the team notably had rebounding issues that played a major role in its first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Missing a player like Adams is never ideal. In the case of the Grizzlies, they have 15 players on guaranteed contracts. That includes Brandon Clarke, who is sidelined for at least most of the upcoming season as he recovers from an Achilles injury he suffered in March. That means all of the Grizzlies' current roster spots are filled, so they will need to be creative if they make any additions.

Here is how the Grizzlies can upgrade their roster at the center position.

Suspension exemption list

This could be the most immediate option for Memphis while it fishes for something bigger. The Grizzlies will have the opportunity to put Ja Morant on the suspension exempt list after the fifth game of the season. This would allow them to add another player to the roster until the point guard is designated to return.

Although it has been believed the Grizzlies would use the exemption to bring on another guard, adding center depth is now a bigger priority. Morant is suspended for 25 games, so the Grizzlies could use the 20-game sample size to get a look at a center. The downside to this option is once Morant returns, the added player would be removed from the roster unless a corresponding move is made.

Trade exception

Remember the Dillon Brooks sign-and-trade? That deal created a traded player exception that Memphis will have at its disposal this season. The TPE is estimated at $7.5 million, which means the Grizzlies can move up to that amount in a trade without having to match salary. Finding a quality center at that price isn't easy, but they potentially could move other rostered players with the TPE and create a package for a center making a larger salary.

Disabled player exception

There's also the rarely used disabled player exception that Memphis could use. If it files for a disabled player exception, it would be valued at half of Adams' salary ($6.3 million). The Grizzlies also would need to open a 15-man roster spot in this scenario.

Mid-level exception (free agency)

Yes, another exception. But this one is the simplest. Every NBA team has a mid-level and bi-annual exception that it can use to make free agency deals. The Grizzlies haven't use either, so both are available. The non-tax MLE is $12.4 million, and the BAE is $4.5 million. It's highly unlikely that the Grizzlies, or any other team, would use the full MLE on a free agent, but the team could use part of it, or the BAE, to lure a player the team values for higher than the veteran's minimum.

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Names to watch

The center position isn't as valued as it once was, so the Grizzlies will have potential options to consider. Current NBA free agent centers include the following: Bismack Biyombo, Dewayne Dedmon and Nerlens Noel. If you want to get flashier with the names of more accomplished veterans, four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins and Dwight Howard also are available.

The trade market is a little bit different and more of a crapshoot. Teams with good center depth on non-championship contenders and quality players on expiring contracts make the most sense as likely trade partners. Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams, Utah Jazz big man Kelly Olynk, New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela fit the mold of potential candidates.

Williams is a starting-caliber center who is currently slated to back up Deandre Ayton. Olynk started last season for the Jazz, but Utah acquired forward John Collins in the offseason, which will put Olynk in a reserve role.

Robinson is an elite rebounder who previously has received strong reviews from Adams. The Knicks have a logjam at forward and could get more of that talent on the floor by playing Julius Randle more at center and using backup big Isaiah Hartenstein. Robinson is in the second year of a four-year deal that has a base salary of $15.7 million this season.

Capela has been one of the NBA's best rebounding and rim-protecting centers in his career. He's a starter for the Hawks, but Atlanta has a promising backup center in Onyeka Okongwu, who was one of the team's top reserves last season. Capela currently has two seasons left on his $46 million deal.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: With Steven Adams out for season, here are Memphis Grizzlies options