Will Memphis Grizzlies Trade Zach Randolph?

The Memphis Grizzlies are fresh off being swept in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Spurs and already the future direction of their team is being questioned.

To be fair, the Lionel Hollins conjecture is unavoidable. He’s a coaching free agent who will be courted by a number of teams, some of which (like the Los Angeles Clippers) hail from flashier markets than Memphis.

But while Hollins’ potential departure will be voluntary, Zach Randolph’s will not. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are considered the only untouchable players on the Grizzlies’ roster, paving the way for Z-Bo to shipped out in the near future:

The future of Randolph in Memphis is another question mark after the Grizzlies’ struggles, and Randolph’s in particular, in their four straight defeats to San Antonio. Randolph drew interest from other teams before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, and, with more than $34 million left on his contract over the next two seasons, could well find himself in play to help Memphis build a more balanced team by addressing its ongoing lack of floor-spacers on the perimeter and rotation depth.

All-Star center Marc Gasol and point guard Mike Conley — who, according to USA Basketball sources, has been invited to Team USA’s minicamp in July in Las Vegas — have been widely considered by rival executives as Memphis’ only two roster untouchables ever since Pera took them to dinner in January without Randolph, Gay or Hollins in attendance.

Not that this is some kind of an omen, but if Hollins leaves for greener pastures, two of the three absent from that infamous dinner will have walked out the door. Will Randolph follow suit?

Though it seems slightly absurd to remove such a key component from a Conference Finals caliber squad, there’s a strong possibility the Grizzlies won’t hesitate to ship Z-Bo out.

Not only is Randolph owed more than $34 million over the next two years, but he put up just 11 points on 30.2 percent shooting against the Spurs. When Memphis needed him most, he was nowhere to be found.

Also, take into consideration that the Grizzlies need perimeter offense. Memphis connected on just 32.4 percent of its deep balls in the playoffs and 34.5 percent (24th in the league) during the regular season. Finding some outside offense is a must for this team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl7Yfcp4Ixg

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies don’t have the financial flexibility necessary to make a huge splash in free agency. Ridding themselves of Rudy Gay’s massive contract put them well under the luxury tax, but they still have more than $60 million committed in payroll leading into next season—and that’s if they renounce the rights to Austin Daye, John Leuer and Donte Greene.

Memphis will be able to sign maybe one significant piece (if that), but that won’t be enough. The Grizzlies’ rotation needs to get deeper; their offense needs to become more potent. Signing one player—at a discount—won’t (likely) do that.

Which leaves Randolph.

Coming off a regrettable Conference-Finals showing, he still has some trade value. He was an All-Star this past season and to a team looking to contend, his contract isn’t horrible. Two years isn’t that long.

And so, if the Grizzlies feel someone has to go, it’s going to be Randolph. Will they feel someone has to go? It’s too soon to tell.

“I think it’s too early now to talk about [any of] that,” Gasol said after Memphis’ Game 4 loss.

Right now, it is too early. But before long, it won’t be.