It has been a pretty quiet offseason so far for the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis had a solid 2016/2017 season, as they finished at the seventh spot in the Western Conference with a 43-39 record. They faced the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, and even though they played well, the Spurs won that series in six games. After the season ended, the fans in Memphis expected to see some roster changes and upgrades in order to narrow the gap between themselves and the best teams in the NBA. Unfortunately for them, that hasn't happened yet, but the Grizzlies did make some moves this summer.
The team signed Tyreke Evans and rookie Rade Zagorac to multi-year deals, and they also acquired Ben Mclemore.
McLemore to miss the start of the season
McLemore was drafted as the seventh pick in 2013 by the Sacramento Kings, and after playing for four seasons with the Kings he became a free-agent this summer. Earlier this offseason he signed a two-year contract worth $10.7 million with the Grizzlies, but bad news came for the team on Wednesday. It was reported that McLemore injured his foot during a pickup game in Los Angeles and he will reportedly be sidelined for 12 weeks. This means that he will most likely miss the first month of the 2017/2018 season, but the team said it expects McLemore to make a full recovery.
McLemore reportedly landed on another player's foot and fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard spent the first seasons of his career with the Sacramento Kings, and even though he played well at times, the Grizzlies believe that he still hasn't reached his full potential. His best season was during the 2014/2015 campaign when he averaged 12.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Last season with the Kings, McLemore played 61 games and averaged 8.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field. He also connected on 38% of his three-point shots during the 2016/2017 season.
Motiejunas takes his talents to China
According to 15min.lt, Donatas Motiejunas will continue his career in China as he decided to sign a $3 million contract with the Shandong Golden Stars.
The seven-footer from Lithuania was drafted in 2011 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he spent the first four seasons of his career with the Houston Rockets. His best year was during the 2014/2015 season with the Rockets as he averaged 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Motiejunas played 34 games for the New Orleans Pelicans last season and averaged 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while playing an average of 14.1 minutes per game.