Jesse Johnson – USA Today Sports Images
One of the things that really spelled doom for the Memphis Grizzlies against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Playoffs was the fact that Memphis didn’t have the shooters on the wing to combat the Spurs lethal offensive attack. In short, Quincy Pondexter and Jerryd Bayless were too inconsistent to get the job done in knocking down outside shots.
According to a report from Sporting News, the Grizzlies were looking to address that problem by adding small forward Chase Budinger through free agency. However, Budinger re-signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, spurning Memphis and leaving them still with a serious need to add consistent and efficient outside shooting.
Budinger would have been a fantastic addition to the Grizzlies, but that’s irrelevant at this point. The Grizzlies now have to look elsewhere to address their shooting needs on the wings.
Bayless exercised his player option to return to Memphis for next season and the organization is still in talks with Tony Allen to bring the defensive-minded guard back to the Grizzlies. However, neither of those guys truly address their real need on the wings.
The market for sharp-shooting wings is shrinking seemingly by the minute. On Tuesday night alone, J.J. Redick, Budinger and Kevin Martin all found landing spots. That means that the Grizzlies, if they choose to address this issue in free agency, will need to act quickly.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Memphis pop up in the conversation for guys like Carlos Delfino, Anthony Morrow or Kyle Korver, even though Korver may carry too high of a price tag. Any way you look at it, though, the Grizzlies will need to make something happen quickly if they really want to get more consistent scoring from their wings.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
