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Memphis Grizzlies: 5 biggest errors by GM Chris Wallace

By Jake Peterson

MEMPHIS, TN - SEPTEMBER 17: Chris Wallace, General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies, helps introduce new players during a press conference on September 17, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - SEPTEMBER 17: Chris Wallace, General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies, helps introduce new players during a press conference on September 17, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images /

5. Not trading Tyreke Evans

Should this move (or lack thereof) be in the top five? Probably not, but its proximity and utterly confusing nature pushes it onto this list.

During the 2017-18 season, the Grizzlies were terrible. Multiple players were hurt, Mike Conley being chief among them, and management decided to throw away the season to rebuild for the 2018-19 campaign.

Tyreke Evans was playing some of his best basketball of his career in Memphis. The former Memphis Tiger was having his best scoring season since his rookie year, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and a hair under 40 percent from deep while taking 5.5 3s per game.

To anyone looking in from the outside, trading Evans looked like a no-brainer. We see this kind of stuff every year: solid veteran plays on a bad team, bad team can ship him off to a contender for assets, player gets traded, bad team receives some kind of compensation and it’s usually a win-win for everyone. Any contender wouldn’t mind a one-year rental of Evans for a second round pick or two.

Except, the Grizzlies never traded Evans. There was a 0.1 percent chance Evans was going to return to the team, as he had a player option for the following season. Barring a catastrophic injury, Evans was a lock to opt out and pursue a bigger money deal, as he had earned it with his play.

As detailed here, multiple teams were offering some kind of package for Evans: a few second-rounders, a young player or a combination of the two. Memphis turned them all down and walked away for nothing. This was before the Grizzlies started sitting Evans so they could tank harder. If he wasn’t going to play, why not trade him?

Turning down these offers was absolutely baffling, as anything would have been better than nothing. This event makes this year’s trade for Justin Holiday even more confusing, where Chris Wallace gave up two second-rounders for one year of Holiday.

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