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MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: STATE OF THE FRANCHISE

State of the Franchise

Projected Cap Space (before luxury tax): $41.8 million

Background: In 2001, the Grizzlies drafted PF Pau Gasol with the third overall pick. He went on to win Rookie of the Year, setting as many as 12 franchise records on the way. Then, in 2007, they drafted PG Mike Conley with the fourth overall pick and traded Pau to the Lakers for a package including the draft rights to Pau's younger brother, C Marc Gasol, among others. In 2009, they traded F Quentin Richardson for PF Zach Randolph. Marc Gasol went on to the win Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, en route to a 56-26 record, the best mark in franchise history. The Grizzlies have made the playoffs for the past four years, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in that epic 2013 season, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Now they are one of the top teams in the West, thanks to All-Star play from Marc Gasol, and amazing play from Randolph and Conley as well. They recently traded role players and draft picks to acquire SF Jeff Green from the Boston Celtics to fill their gap at SF. With a veteran team, Memphis is looking like true contenders led by a starting five full of defensive studs, comprised of Conley, SG Tony Allen, Green, Randolph, and Gasol.

Current Financial State: The Grizzlies currently have $75 million in contracts right now but are projected to have only $35 million on the books for next year. This is mainly because both Gasol and Randolph's $16 million contracts are expiring and Jeff Green has a $9 million player option, which he is likely to accept. Conley’s $9 million contract is an absolute steal as well. With Gasol and Randolph being their only major free agents, the Grizzlies will likely be looking to keep them in free agency this year.

Targets: With the team performing at such a high level, their only major targets this offseason will likely be to keep their core free agents, Randolph and Gasol. Both, however, are likely to receive offers from many other teams, although Gasol has drawn more interest. Some likely suitors for Gasol include the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams are looking to add some star power and both will also have a lot of money to spend this offseason. Because of all the reported interest, Gasol will likely be the top priority for the Grizzlies. They will likely try to sign Gasol for something around 4 years/$80+ million. Hopefully they won't be forced to pay even more to keep him away from the big market teams looking to get him. Randolph is due for a 2 year/$24 million deal, which he will probably get from Memphis. With the money they have available, the Grizzlies will look to re-sign their star big men.

The Fit: Gasol and Randolph's fit with the Grizzlies is very well explained by their current play on the court, as well as the Grizzlies’ current record. Clearly, they complement each other really well, with Randolph taking a major scoring load and doing a lot of the rebounding, while Gasol just seems to do it all. Even though they are getting older, their level of play has certainly not declined and they are still performing at an All-Star level. The Grizzlies would absolutely love to keep both of them, because they are the heart of this Memphis team. If they keep up their level of play for the rest of the season, they will be a greatly feared team come playoff time.
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