NBA salary cap exercise: What player would every team amnesty?

Memphis Grizzlies – Gorgui Dieng

While some fans may want to quickly pull the trigger on a tough bubble experience from Dillon Brooks there is no need to get carried away. Sometimes the decision is as easy as it seems and this time it is the highest-paid player on the roster who does not ultimately contribute to the future of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Gorgui Dieng is a fine player. He was better and more durable before Tom Thibodeau got hold of him and since then has seen his production drop in the league. He only appeared in 12 games for Memphis after the trade deadline and averaged 7.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in only 19.5 minutes per game.

The production is not terrible but the price is. Dieng is on the books for $17.3 million next season. The team is not hurting for cap space per se but this is still an exorbitant amount for a player who plays under 20 minutes per game.

This money can be put to far better use. One option is taking a chance on a restricted free agent this summer to add to the stellar young core in Memphis. Another option is doing something like what they did when they absorbed Andre Iguodala last summer. They brought back a protected first-round pick to bring him in and then flipped him just seven months later to bring back Justice Winslow (as well as Dieng). This is how smart small market teams make the most of their money.