Report: Z-Bo Opts-In for 2014-2015, Agrees To Extension With Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies have assured that they’ll be gritting and grinding for years to come. According to reports, Zach Randolph has opted into his contract for 2014-2015 and agreed to a two-year extension with the Grizzlies.

The news is courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski.

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By choosing to opt-in for the final season of the four-year, $66 million contract Randolph signed with Memphis in 2011, his 2014-2015 salary will be approximately $17 million. Though that’s clearly expensive for a player of Randolph’s strong but diminishing caliber, his importance to the Grizzlies organization extends beyond the court. Z-Bo has become a fixture of the Memphis community and the face of a once-fledgling franchise, and it seems prudent to overpay him for a year if that means that he’ll likely finish his career on a reasonable salary as a Grizzly.

The two-year, $20 million extension that will kick in for 2015-2016 does just that. Randolph turns 33 years-old in July and is clearly on the downside of his career. Though his per-game numbers were strong last season, Randolph notched free throw and rebounding rates that were the worst of his time with the Grizzlies, and Marc Gasol and Mike Conley have clearly usurped him in on-court value. Still, Memphis’ consistently laboring offense struggles even more when he goes to the bench. The Grizzlies were three points per 100 possessions worse offensively without Randolph on the floor during the regular season, and the small-ball success they enjoyed against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs doesn’t seem a sustainable strategy.

Randolph is still important to Memphis’ success, basically, and the terms of his extension confirms that belief while also acknowledging his developing limitations. His game doesn’t rely on explosiveness or general athleticism, meaning it should age relatively well. And though Randolph will likely be a bit expensive in 2016-2017 especially, a minor splurge to maintain organizational culture and on-court identity seems worth it.

However, Randolph’s opt-in does mean the Grizzlies are over the salary cap and will thus have little wiggle room in free agency this summer. But that was always going to be a consequence of bringing him back, even on a reduced salary; every key player on the Memphis roster except for unrestricted free agent Mike Miller and restricted free agent Ed Davis are under contract through next season. From there, though, Memphis’ cap-sheet is relatively clean. The Grizzlies should have meaningful flexibility in the 2015 offseason even after accounting for a Gasol extension, as Conley and Tony Allen will still be under contract. Overpaid or not, Z-Bo’s new deal from 2015-2017 won’t be an albatross for Memphis.

This news seems a win for Randolph, the Grizzlies, and, frankly, fans of the NBA. Memphis has become one of the league’s most unique and enjoyable teams over the past few seasons, and Randolph’s presence is essential to that development. We’re glad these Grizzlies will be around for a couple more years at the very least. The rest of the Western Conference, though? We doubt they share our sentiment.

*Statistical support for this post provided by nba.com/stats.

Is this a good deal for Memphis?

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