Memphis Grizzlies 2025 Offseason Big Board Part 2: Filling out the bench

The Memphis Grizzlies' bench could look very different next season. How can the Grizzlies round out its bench this offseason?

Part one of my Memphis Grizzlies’ offseason big board is here — focusing on the crucial decisions with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama, big-fish targets, and other savvy moves that could bolster the rotation.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ bench should look different next season. Luke Kennard, Marvin Bagley, and Lamar Stevens are all unrestricted free agents. That’s three roster spots right there. It feels certain the Grizzlies will make a trade, but the magnitude of it is TBD. The only time Kleiman has gone an offseason without a trade — that wasn’t on draft night — was 2020 when it was shortened due to COVID. With that said, the Grizzlies have opportunities to tweak its bench closer to the vision Kleiman and Tuomas Iisalo have with this roster.

While we’re here, let’s address the sad news over the weekend. Zach Edey will undergo surgery to address “excessive ligamentous laxity” after re-spraining his left ankle. The timeline is unknown, but ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that he’s likely to miss the beginning of the 2025-26 season. It’s a crushing blow. Edey will miss out on critical development time this summer, and the Grizzlies have a big role in store for him next season. With Edey’s injury, and with Brandon Clarke returning from a MCL sprain, the Grizzlies need some center reinforcements on its bench.

Merging back into the topic, this section of my big board forces players on the Grizzlies to target to round out the roster. These players will be minor trade acquisitions, free agency targets with the $8.8M room exception, or on minimum contracts, fliers, and in-house development.

Goga Bitadze

The Orlando Magic have a frontcourt logjam with Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, and Goga Bitadze. Frankly, the Grizzlies should make a call for one of these guys, and Bitadze makes the most sense. For starters, he seemed to be the odd man out, as he was in and out of the rotation. Secondly, he may have sneaky upside to him. He’s a non-shooter, but he does all the big man things well. He’s ranked in the 94th percentile or higher in each season of his career, per dunksandthrees. This past season, he ranked in the 94th percentile in both offensive (13.3) and defensive (25.9) rebounding percentage. When looking for a pure big man that could potentially fill in for Zach Edey in the early parts of the season, the answer should be Bitadze.

What would it take? There are two paths the Grizzlies could take to acquire him. If they have to renegotiate and extend Jaren, his salary fits into the room exception, so maybe they could trade a second-round pick for him. If they hold on to Jaren’s contract situation until next season, they could maybe do a sign-and-trade with Bitadze for Luke Kennard, as the Magic desperately need shooting.

Bobby Portis

Could you imagine Zach Kleiman signing Bobby Portis after his speech about dawgs? He’s an inconsistent defender, as he’s a mediocre shot-blocker, and he’s not going to lock people down on the perimeter. However, he’s a strong rebounder that can stretch the floor and provide toughness. In addition, he’d be a veteran in the locker room that knows what it takes to win a championship.

What would it take? He’s on a player option for next season, so it’s likely he opts in. For that event, they could offer Konchar and Huff with a second, which would help the Bucks trim the books. If he decided to opt out, he’s a player that should fit into the Grizzlies’ MLE — something like two years, $17M ($8.5M annually) could be worth exploring.

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Jaquez had a sophomore slump last season, as his scoring and shooting efficiency slipped — leading to an inconsistent role in the rotation. However, Jaquez is a fiery competitor that can create shots for himself and his own teammates, and he’s also an underrated defender. He has great size and physicality, and leverages it to dictate spots on both sides of the floor. Yes, the three-point shot needs to improve (31.8% for his career), but he’s a young role player worth betting on.

What would it take? I’m not sure how likely it is that the Heat trade Jaquez, but Pelle Larsson, Haywood Highsmith, and Alec Burks leaped over him in the rotation. Could they do a young player swap with Jaquez and either GG Jackson or Vince Williams? Or, the Grizzlies could trade him into one of their traded player exceptions while sending two second-round picks to the Heat — trimming Miami’s books away from the luxury while they can add a few assets for trades.

Matisse Thybulle

I’ve always been high on Thybulle due to his defensive disruption. Since he was traded to Portland, his improvement has totally flown under the radar. He’s shot 36.8% from three on 3.6 attempts per game, transforming himself into a legitimate 3-and-D wing. Last season, he missed all but 15 games due to knee procedure to address inflammation followed by an ankle sprain. Although in a 15-game sample, he averaged an absurd 2.2 steals in just 20.8 minutes per game (3.8 per 36 minutes). The Blazers’ approach with him will be interesting because of the emergence of Tuomani Camara, and with new contracts due for Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.

What would it take? Thybulle does have a player option, but I’d be surprised if he declines it — unless they’d line up an extension, or if he’s simply looking for more years. If he somehow opts out, the Grizzlies should offer the full $8.8M room exception, or at least $9M of the full non-taxpayer MLE. Otherwise, a Thybulle trade would be complicated, because he has a 15% trade kicker on his contract. If the Grizzlies don’t trade Konchar in a salary dump, he and Vince Williams could make for a good trade that sheds salary for Portland. I don’t see a trade, but if he remains in Portland this season by opting into his player option, he should be a high-priority free agency target in 2026.

Lonzo Ball

The Grizzlies reportedly had interest in Lonzo Ball at February’s trade deadline. The Bulls offered him a two-year, $20M extension instead. Could he still be a trade target? You never know with the Bulls. However, he’s back after a brutal multi-year recovery from a knee injury — although he missed the final 22 games of the season with a wrist sprain. Last season, he showed how he can still be a connective tissue for a team with his playmaking, turnover generation, and individual defense. The injury history is frightening, but Ball is a player that makes winning plays.

What would it take? I’d be worried about making Ball a primary acquisition this summer. A trade for him should be a minor move that adds more playmaking to the bench. The Grizzlies could offer Konchar with two second-round picks for Ball. However, I just don’t see the Bulls trading him.

Day’ron Sharpe

Sharpe is a restricted free agent this summer. His free agency outlook is interesting due to the long-term money they have tied to Nic Claxton, and with five draft picks in the top-35. Do they lean heavier into its youth movement? Sharpe is only 23 years old. He’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, ranking in the 99th percentile in offensive rebounding percentage (17.5%). He creates defensive events as well, as he was one of three players that had steal percentage greater than 2 and block percentage greater than 4 — among those that played at least half the season. He could fill in for Edey in the early part of the season quite well, as their strengths overlap.

What would it take? Restricted free agency is tricky. The Grizzlies could offer him the full room exception at $8.8M. However, even if the Nets lean into Claxton and a rookie-contract big man, Sharpe at that number is tremendous value and could be a great trade chip. Do the Grizzlies have to surrender a second-round pick to get the Nets to not accept the offer sheet? The Grizzlies did a similar deal when the Mavericks offered Delon Wright an offer sheet in 2019. Last year, Matt Moore (aka Hardwood Paroxysm) reported the Grizzlies’ interest in Sharpe. Could they try to work something out with his restricted free agency?

Bruce Brown

Bruce Brown will be a popular name out there because he’s a veteran that’s recently won an NBA championship. He would give the Grizzlies the unconventional undersized forward that they sought with Marcus Smart, but he doesn’t provide nearly as much defensively. He’s not a great shooter either, and he’s not the playmaker to be a frequent initiator of the offense. Nonetheless, if the Grizzlies do go after Brown, he’d be a good veteran to have in the rotation — and his contract could become a trade deadline asset.

What would it take? Brown shouldn’t get anything more than the $8.8M room exception. A two-year deal at this number could be good. However, it’s more likely Brown opts for another situation. If he isn’t back with the Pelicans, I see him back in Denver for their taxpayer MLE.

Cam Spencer

Cam Spencer could be in the next wave of Grizzlies two-way players that have been promoted to the main roster. Zach Kleiman described him as not just a dog, but a grizzly bear. Even though Spencer may lack ideal size — which may get exposed defensively — he’s the ultimate competitor that makes smart decisions and is a flamethrower from beyond the arc. Spencer could be a viable “next man up” for the rotation next season.

The Grizzlies typically use portions of the mid-level exception to promote their two-way contracts. They can also use a minimum contract exception for a two-year deal. However, they typically look to get them locked in for three- to four-year deals with guarantees and options. They could also bring him back on a two-way contract until they figure out how to promote him. Nonetheless, I expect Cam Spencer to be a Memphis Grizzly next season.

Tarik Biberovic

The Grizzlies could look to bring Tarik Biberovic stateside. He's transformed into one of the best shooters in Europe, making 44.4% of his three’s over the past two seasons with Fenerbahçe (559 attempts). There have been reports of interest in bringing Biberovic over, but it’s early for roster decisions, so who knows where things really stand. The Grizzlies can sign him this summer through the second-round exception, since he hasn’t had a NBA deal. This avenue would make sense, since the Grizzlies’ second-round picks are later (48 and 56) and trend closer to two-way or draft-and-stash territory. Could the wait and mystery for Biberovic be over?

De’Anthony Melton

We got a reunion! De’Anthony Melton is coming off a torn ACL injury, which likely restricts his market to the minimum. What better place to make a reintroduction than the place he broke out? Melton is a possessions beast with his ability to create turnovers and crash the glass. Melton likely wouldn’t be in the permanent rotation, but he could be a nice depth piece — if he’s healthy.

Delon Wright

Another reunion! When filling out the roster, Wright is probably my top target as a veteran’s minimum. He’s a veteran that’s a steady table-setter (averages 3.0 assists against 0.9 turnovers for his career), chaos creator (ranked in the 90th percentile or better in steal percentage in each year since his sophomore season), and has good size at 6’5”. Most importantly for this Grizzlies’ team, he’s a veteran. Given Morant’s injury history, Wright could be a steady backup to Scotty Pippen Jr. as the next man up.

Jae’Sean Tate

Jae’Sean Tate isn’t the splashy name out there. If anything, he profiles more as a Lamar Stevens that’s a more willing passer and outside shooter. He was phased out of Houston’s rotation within their mix of youth and veteran acquisitions. If the Grizzlies go after Tate at the end of their bench, he’s a physical forward that could bring toughness in spot minutes.

Jaden Springer

We’ve seen this trend of players breaking out a few years after entering the league, taking this leap from “fringe NBA player” to “impactful rotation player.” Ty Jerome and Kris Dunn are prominent examples. It leads me to ask who’s in the next wave of that archetype? I kept going back to Jaden Springer. The 2021 first-round pick has bounced around quite a bit. Per Cleaning the Glass, he’s only played 75 non-garbage-time games in his career. Springer is likely a cautionary tale of leaving school too early; in this landscape, he probably goes back to school for more NIL money. He shouldn’t be in a rotation for a playoff team next year, but could someone — maybe even his current team, the Utah Jazz — get him in their program to see what he could become? He doesn’t provide any shooting, and he’s not exactly a primary defender. However, he’s a dogged defender that’s going to add value in the possessions game. As the Grizzlies are looking for more perimeter defense, Springer could be a cost-effective flier at the end of their bench?

What would it take? The Grizzlies could trade for Springer via their traded player exception. The Rockets and Celtics exchanged second-round picks in this sort of deal. It may not be worth the Grizzlies’ while there. They should likely round out the roster with veterans. However, if they consolidate their roster a bit and add veterans, he could be an interesting target.

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Like my part one, I’ll do a big board with these targets. Here’s how I’d go — factors in impact, cost, and fit:

1. Goga Bitadze

2. Jaime Jaquez Jr.

3. Matisse Thybulle

4. Day’ron Sharpe

5. Bobby Portis

6. Cam Spencer

7. Delon Wright

8. De’Anthony Melton

9. Lonzo Ball

10. Bruce Brown

11. Tarik Biberovic

12. Jaden Springer

13. Jae’Sean Tate

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