Grizzlies Free Agency
This is going to be a short post discussing rumors and speculations concerning who the grizzlies will be pursuing in Free Agency. The Grizzlies are one of the few teams in the NBA this season who have a respectable amount of cap room, unfortunately this is not a huge year for Free Agents. The two biggest FAs this offseason are Rashard Lewis, who has signed with the Magic, and Chauncy Billups, who appears to be headed back to Detroit. These two players are not on the Grizzlies radar anyways, so it their signings are of no concern to Wallace and the Grizz brass. The two players the Grizzlies are concerned about are Anderson Varejao and Andres Nocioni.
Nocioni seems to be number one the Grizzlies list. GM Chris Wallace has even gone down to Argentina to speak with Nocioni about signing a potential deal. Gasol and Iavaroni have also joined in on the recruitment through phone calls trying to sell Iavaroni on the idea of becoming a Grizzlie. One problem with Andres is that he is not an unrestricted free agent. The Bulls think highly of Nocioni and will probably match any offer around the MLE, and barring a mental lapse by Wallace the Grizzlies won't offer anything much higher than the MLE.
Anderson Varejao is the other major player in Free Agency. Varejao is the ideal big man for the Grizzlies new up tempo style from a size stand point. He's 6'10" 240 pound center who can run the floor, hustle, rebound, and has a decent ability to score. While his numbers may not be that impressive he is considered a great up and coming center prospect. The Grizzlies would love to be able to sign him, but like the Bulls and Nocioni the Cavs covet AV and may force the Grizz to do a sign and trade in order to get Varejao.
Darko is another big man that is UFA this offseason. Darko, a former 2nd overall draft pick by the Detroit Pistons, just finished up his most productive season of his career for the Orlando Magic and is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of 10 million a year. He won't get that. Darko, like Varejao, would be another good fit for the Grizzlies new style of play. Darko has some work to do on the offensive end of the floor but showcased his defensive assets last season for the Magic. The Magic are currently trying to unload some of their contracts to free up cap space to sign Darko, but the Grizzlies could tender a rather large contract to him in hopes of luring him away from Orlando.
Mikki Moore is the final legitimate free agent big man the Grizzlies may pursue. I'd rank him last on the list though due to age and size. Moore was a vital part in New Jersey last year, but he is not that bruiser that the Grizzlies are looking for to take some pressure of Pau Gasol. The other knock on Mikki Moore is that he is already over 30, while the other Free Agent big men are no older than 25 and will be around the NBA for a much longer time period.
While the Grizzlies appear to be set a PG, Derek Fisher may be a possible acquisition this offseason. The veteran PG, who spent last season with the Jazz, was released from his contract in order to pursue treatment options for his daughter. Fisher's daughter was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer and he is considering sending her to St. Jude Children Research Hospital for treatment. If Fisher does decide to send his daughter there it's highly possible he may sign with the Grizzlies. However, Fisher is not going to put the NBA first at this time and I wish him and his daughter the best and hope they are able to treat and cure her unfortunate malady.
Nocioni seems to be number one the Grizzlies list. GM Chris Wallace has even gone down to Argentina to speak with Nocioni about signing a potential deal. Gasol and Iavaroni have also joined in on the recruitment through phone calls trying to sell Iavaroni on the idea of becoming a Grizzlie. One problem with Andres is that he is not an unrestricted free agent. The Bulls think highly of Nocioni and will probably match any offer around the MLE, and barring a mental lapse by Wallace the Grizzlies won't offer anything much higher than the MLE.
Anderson Varejao is the other major player in Free Agency. Varejao is the ideal big man for the Grizzlies new up tempo style from a size stand point. He's 6'10" 240 pound center who can run the floor, hustle, rebound, and has a decent ability to score. While his numbers may not be that impressive he is considered a great up and coming center prospect. The Grizzlies would love to be able to sign him, but like the Bulls and Nocioni the Cavs covet AV and may force the Grizz to do a sign and trade in order to get Varejao.
Darko is another big man that is UFA this offseason. Darko, a former 2nd overall draft pick by the Detroit Pistons, just finished up his most productive season of his career for the Orlando Magic and is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of 10 million a year. He won't get that. Darko, like Varejao, would be another good fit for the Grizzlies new style of play. Darko has some work to do on the offensive end of the floor but showcased his defensive assets last season for the Magic. The Magic are currently trying to unload some of their contracts to free up cap space to sign Darko, but the Grizzlies could tender a rather large contract to him in hopes of luring him away from Orlando.
Mikki Moore is the final legitimate free agent big man the Grizzlies may pursue. I'd rank him last on the list though due to age and size. Moore was a vital part in New Jersey last year, but he is not that bruiser that the Grizzlies are looking for to take some pressure of Pau Gasol. The other knock on Mikki Moore is that he is already over 30, while the other Free Agent big men are no older than 25 and will be around the NBA for a much longer time period.
While the Grizzlies appear to be set a PG, Derek Fisher may be a possible acquisition this offseason. The veteran PG, who spent last season with the Jazz, was released from his contract in order to pursue treatment options for his daughter. Fisher's daughter was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer and he is considering sending her to St. Jude Children Research Hospital for treatment. If Fisher does decide to send his daughter there it's highly possible he may sign with the Grizzlies. However, Fisher is not going to put the NBA first at this time and I wish him and his daughter the best and hope they are able to treat and cure her unfortunate malady.
posted by Jason Smith at 8:45 PM
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