Last Season: 38-34, 8th in Western Conference
Most young teams with a dynamic star react the same way to a leap, changing quickly from “rebuilding” to “competing” and molding their roster and applying their assets accordingly. Not so with the Memphis Grizzlies, who built this team with a longview in mind and are applying that same patience to their current roster.
They executed multiple trades this offseason that weren’t “win-now” moves but rather saw the Grizzlies getting an asset to facilitate. That’s the kind of thing a rebuilding team does. Instead, Memphis sees itself as a playoff team right now. The trick is that they want to stay that way, and they’re seeking a long road of contention by building a sustainable asset base.
Key Offseason Move: Swapping starting centers. Jonas Valanciunas was a prolific starter for the Grizzlies the last two seasons, and Memphis somewhat easily swapped him out for Steven Adams (for draft capital), who has been a much less effective player in recent years. The Grizzlies evidently believe that they can replace the scoring of Valanciunas elsewhere in the rotation, and that his offensive rebounding and interior touch didn’t outweigh his defensive limitations.