Each NBA team’s greatest free agent signing in franchise history

Memphis Grizzlies: Tony Allen, Shooting Guard (2010-17)

Compared to the other 29 teams in the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies haven’t accomplished much in their relatively short existence. They have yet to appear in an NBA Finals with just a single conference finals showing to their name.

It’s for their very lack of overall success that’s allowed fans to appreciate some of the smaller accomplishments in the team’s history. Namely, the most prosperous stretch they’ve ever seen that included seven straight playoff appearances, which came to fruition in part because of man Memphis now calls “The Grindfather”.

Tony Allen came to Memphis after searching for a bigger role than the one he occupied with the Boston Celtics. As one of the stingiest perimeter defenders in the league, he was the driving force behind the Grizzlies’ newfound identity, eventually dubbed “Grit and Grind”.

Those teams of the mid-2010s weren’t overly flushed with talent. Instead, they became a team nobody wanted to face come playoff time for their physical nature in making opponents work for every look.

At the heart of this style was Allen, whose rugged underdog mentality fostered that success at the defensive end. He routinely swarmed the game’s best perimeter players, even drawing respect from the great Kobe Bryant as his toughest defender.

He made six NBA All-Defensive Teams during his seven years — three on both the First and Second Teams — and helped the Grizzlies to two second-round appearances and the franchise’s first-ever trip to the conference finals.

Most players of Allen’s caliber wouldn’t stand the test of time on most NBA organizations. For his contributions in Memphis, however, his jersey will eventually be sent to the rafters at the FedEx Forum, having turned around a Grizzlies franchise whose best seasons coincided directly with his presence.