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The Grizzlies are heading into the offseason with a full 15-man roster. This includes their first-round pick but not Dillon Brooks, who is their lone free agent this summer. Assuming re-signing him is a priority, Memphis could look to make a small consolidation trade to open up a roster spot for him. Every player rostered has too much value to simply be cut and they may want to avoid that problem again after needing to waive Kennedy Chandler to make room for Kenneth Lofton Jr.
Memphis is expected to be roughly $20 million below the projected $162 million luxury tax line. This is provided that Ja Morant doesn’t earn All-NBA honors for this season and thus doesn’t meet the criteria for a higher maximum contract. The difference in total salaries is $40 million, and it would give Morant a $33.5 million starting salary for 2023-24 instead of $40.2 million. The savings should give the Grizzlies much more flexibility toward re-signing Brooks and potentially using the mid-level exception.
In the long run, this could be the last year the Grizzlies are able to avoid the luxury tax. That’s because new contracts for Brooks and Desmond Bane, along with recent extensions for Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke, could total $140 million for just the six of them. As long as they stick to this general group and do not add any more significant salaries, they should be able to pay a modest tax payment while avoiding the second tax apron.
