Grizzlies will use No. 3 pick to build Grind City 2.0. A legit Ja Morant replacement will complete puzzle.

Grizzlies will use No. 3 pick to build Grind City 2.0. A legit Ja Morant replacement will complete puzzle. appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After a few painful seasons defined by injuries, suspensions, setbacks, and the heartbreaking loss of Brandon Clarke, the Ja Morant-era Memphis Grizzlies are headed for a hard reset this summer. Fortunately for the fans, next year’s squad should feel somewhat familiar, if only through nostalgia and not winning basketball. EVP Zach Kleiman’s next version of Beale Street basketball should also get to skip a few painful rebuilding steps that usually plague small-market franchises, so Tuomas Iisalo should feel at ease over the next 82 games as well.

The FexEd Forum has experienced this feeling before using largely the same blueprint. An identity built on toughness, length, defensive edge, and the belief that development matters more than celebrity is comforting in a way that should sell tickets. It may not immediately produce 50 wins, but the gritty club is quietly being rebuilt from the ground up in a way fans should respect. Armed with a high lottery pick and a clear schematic vision, the front office is quietly constructing Grind City 2.0; they might be only one piece away from completing the puzzle.

(Editor’s note: The situation surrounding Brandon Clarke’s passing remains very sensitive and larger than basketball. Details below are reported with that context in mind.)

There are echoes of multiple Grizzlies eras inside this current blueprint. Now leading a team needing a reason to smile, Jaylen Wells returns at shooting guard. Using next year to truly grow into a Desmond Bane replacement or that Jimmy Butler role Wells told ClutchPoints about years ago is his main priority. Then there is Cedric Coward at small forward, doing his best Dillon Brooks and Kawhi Leonard impressions.

Scotty Pippen Jr., Ty Jerome, and Cam Spencer will finally get a chance to either run a team as the starter or be the Sixth Man that really boosts their value before the trade deadline. Think Greg Anthony or Chucky Atkins levels of production next season. GG Jackson coming in as the first frontcourt sub keeps Tuomas Iisalo’s rotations fresher than a Shane Battier head shave, with constant length quite literally waiting in the wings.

And that’s all before getting to the rebuild-accelerating cheat code in the NBA Draft. Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, or AJ Dybantsa will fall to the third pick. Slot any of them in at the Zach Randolph or Shareef Abdur-Rahim spot with Zach Edey working an inside-out, outside-in frontcourt game, and that pairing would have a higher ceiling than any roster with Steven Adams.

Essentially, the Grizzlies have a surplus of cheap talent and are one young Ja Morant, Mike Bibby, or Tony Allen-type point guard away from completing step one of the next generation foundation.

Grizzlies gauging trade values Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Initial indications are that the NBA’s rules will permit the Grizzlies to waive the remainder of Clarke’s contract, with team and life insurance policies ensuring his family is supported. That development leaves Kleiman’s front office with limited salary commitments, while most of the rotation stays in place.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Taylor Hendricks, Oliver-Maxence Prosper, and Walter Clayton Jr. are seemingly most useful as makeweight salaries in a larger Ja Morant or Santi Aldama trade. The foursome was far from being undeniably impressive under Iisalo last season, and the Grizzlies will have three new rookies to fit on the roster. Perhaps KCP or OMP stick around for training camp to provide some stability. Still, at least Memphis has more than one way to make multiple deals.

Rubber is about to meet the road around the Mississippi River’s last big bend. A locker room refresh is needed after years of stagnation and sadness, but Kleiman is working with almost $100 million in tradeable salary to reshape the roster. So with only $34 million in core cap hits plus dead money in 2026-27, and most of the young rotation locked in on cost-controlled contracts, the Grizzlies are expected to be contending for top-six seeds far sooner than most other rebuilding franchises.

Thankfully, the updated product should represent the most loyal fans in the FedEx Forum as well.

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