Memphis Grizzlies Agree To 2-Year, $6 Million Deal With James Ennis

The Memphis Grizzlies continued adding talent to their roster, agreeing to a contract with small forward James Ennis.

The Memphis Grizzlies began free agency with a bang. They were not shy about handing out big money deals, as they signed Chandler Parsons away from the Dallas Mavericks with a four-year, $94 million max deal.

They did not stop there, as they re-signed Mike Conley to the richest deal in the history of the NBA, agreeing to a monster five-year, $153 million deal.

The Grizzlies were not done there, as they dipped into the free agent pool once again for a third player. This time it wasn’t a max deal, but an important one nonetheless. The Grizzlies agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal with James Ennis.

Shams Charania of The Vertical was first to report the news.

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He may sound like a familiar name to some Grizzlies fans and that would make sense as he was a part of the organization last season. The Grizzlies acquired Ennis in an early-season trade with the Miami Heat along with point guard Mario Chalmers, sending Beno Udrih to the Heat.

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Ennis was a player stuck on the bench with the Heat, as there were veterans ahead of him and players with higher draft pedigrees. As a result, the move to the Grizzlies looked like it would give him his first real opportunity at playing time.

Unfortunately, that never came to fruition, as Ennis was a casualty of the Grizzlies injury problems. Ennis was released so that the Grizzlies could get some healthy bodies on the roster, as cornerstones Marc Gasol and Conley missed huge chunks of the season.

The Grizzlies would set an NBA record with 28 different players being signed, which speaks to how injured they were throughout the season. It also speaks volumes to the organization as a whole that they were still able to qualify for the postseason despite so many injuries hitting their roster.

Ennis would latch on with the New Orleans Pelicans, another team that was crushed by injuries, to end the season. This time Ennis benefited from the injuries around him, as he received his first chance at consistent playing time.

Ennis would play nine games with the Pelicans to end the season, starting five of them. He played very well in those games, scoring double-figures in eight of the nine with strong averages.

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In those nine games, Ennis averaged 31.3 minutes per game, scoring 15.9 points to go with 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals.

Ennis made a strong impression with his shooting percentages, making 50 percent overall and 48 percent from deep, resulting in an effective field goal percentage of 62 percent.

Ennis closed the season with memorable performances, as he scored 29 and 28 points in the final two games against the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Those performances to close the season left a lasting impression, as the Grizzlies brought Ennis back on a salary in which he will make more than five times his career earnings thus far.

This was a smart move by Ennis, as he is familiar with the Grizzlies organization, and he will have a familiarty with the coaching staff that the other players won’t.

With Dave Joerger moving on to the Sacramento Kings to be their head coach, the Grizzlies hired David Fizdale away from the Heat.

While Joerger didn’t seem to view Ennis as a legitimate rotation player, Fizdale may have a different opinion; Fizdale was an assistant with the Heat when Ennis began his career there.

With a guaranteed deal, Ennis should have a shot at earning some playing time with the Grizzlies this time around.

While Parsons will be the starter, he has not been a pillar of good health, missing at least 16 games in each of the last two seasons, so Ennis could find his way into the lineup that way.

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But, Ennis should find himself with the backup small forward role right off the bat. With Vince Carter getting up there in age and Lance Stephenson and Matt Barnes moving on, there is an opportunity for Ennis to carve out a role for himself