The Memphis Grizzlies are entering a very important summer. The Western Conference’s second seed in back-to-back years before injuries knocked them into the lottery this past season, the Grizzlies believe their core should be firmly in the playoff picture if healthy next year. While this is a reasonable assumption, the Western Conference continues to get better, which means Memphis cannot get complacent this offseason.
One position the Grizzlies could upgrade is their starting center spot, as the team dealt away Steven Adams this past trade deadline. In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey named Former Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas as the dream option for Memphis this summer.
“Jonas Valanciunas checks a lot of the same boxes while being two years younger and a lot more dangerous as a scorer than Plumlee,” Bailey wrote after naming Mason Plumlee the more realistic addition for Memphis. “Plus, JV played with Morant, Bane and Jackson back in 2020-21, so there’s some familiarity there.”
With Jaren Jackson Jr. at his best when playing power forward, the Grizzlies could certainly use a player like Valanciunas. A 34.8% career three-point shooter, Valanciunas would also be a respectable floor spacer for Ja Morant, which is big for the athletic guard.
The Grizzlies already have a very solid core, but some quality moves on the margins this summer could really elevate them into that next tier. Perhaps bringing back Valanciunas is something the Grizzlies could explore.
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