The Memphis Grizzlies continue to generate positive buzz amid a busy offseason.
The Memphis Grizzlies have had a transformational offseason, headlined by their pivot to a new franchise cornerstone.
The team drafted prized prospect Cameron Boozer and traded away star guard Ja Morant, clearing the way for the incoming rookie to be the new centerpiece in Memphis.
After starting the Boozer era and making a number of other roster changes this summer, the Grizzlies have received some positive buzz, and Bleacher Report is adding to it.
According to BR's Greg Swartz, the Grizzlies are among the teams that "got better" this offseason in the NBA.
Swartz added that Memphis deserves credit for realizing its previous core had hit its peak and that it was time to push the reset button. He added that if big man Zach Edey can stay healthy, the Grizzlies will be back to relevancy "soon."
Swartz praised Memphis' frontcourt situation. He also said that between some of the team's newcomers and returnees (at various positions), the offense should improve.
He closed by saying that the Grizzlies should "comfortably" surpass 30 wins this season. Last season, Memphis finished with just 25 victories.
As mentioned, the Grizzlies made some other key changes in addition to drafting Boozer and losing Morant. They traded away big man Santi Aldama, but they added frontcourt help in the form of Isaiah Stewart and Quinten Post. They also brought in D'Angelo Russell, Jerami Grant, Kris Murray and some additional rookie talent.
More recently, they struck a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in which they acquired Jordan Hawkins, Micah Peavy and second-round draft capital in exchange for AJ Johnson and Taj Gibson.
Not everyone is guaranteed to stick around as Memphis navigates a roster crunch, but the team has certainly given itself a lot of options by bringing in a ton of players and taking advantage of the league's offseason roster rules.
Once the season finally does arrive, much of the attention will be on Boozer, who is expected to be a major factor in the Rookie of the Year race. There seems to be some optimism within the Grizzlies about potentially surprising some teams this season, and if everything comes together, perhaps Memphis will indeed get a little separation from the bottom of the Western Conference.
But part of the beauty of a rebuild is that there is a little bit of a grace period in which wins and losses aren't everything. If there are growing pains this season (which is almost a certainty), fans will just have to roll with the punches.
