Grading the Grizzlies' Busy Offseason Before the 2026-27 Season

The Memphis Grizzlies made a lot of moves this summer. What grade do they deserve for their efforts?

It would be easy to default to an A+. Spoiler alert: the grade won't be far off. It's been a fantastic summer for Memphis.

Is there any fault to find?

There are perhaps two nits to pick.

Firstly, the Grizzlies didn't get a tremendous return for Santi Aldama. Memphis sent Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks and received AJ Johnson, a 2030 top-20 protected Warriors first-round pick, and two future second-round picks.

That's a reasonable package, but any player selected outside of the top 20 isn't likely to be as impactful as Aldama.

At 25, he's still young enough to grow with the squad. If Memphis were purely in rebuilding mode with no regard for 2026, that would make more sense, but the fact that they went on to acquire the similar-but-worse Quinten Post challenges that theory.

Memphis signed Post to a three-year, $30 million offer sheet that Golden State declined to match.

One could argue that having Post and future assets is better than having Aldama. That's a fair position — again, this is nitpicking. That said, there would have been chemistry advantages in simply keeping Aldama and letting him grow with the young core.

A larger concern could be the Ja Morant return. It feels unfair to criticize the Grizzlies for that. Morant was a distressed asset. It feels more fair to criticize the front office for waiting too long to move the former MVP candidate.

Still, what they did was better than not moving him at all.

The fact remains that Memphis had to move Morant. It would have been ideal to get more assets in return for him, but that opportunity had long passed. Having the gumption to move him at all was better than nothing.

The move officially pushed Memphis into a new era, with the organization building around a younger core after trading Morant to Portland.

Otherwise, this summer was nearly perfect.

The front office only deserves so much credit for drafting Cameron Boozer. They had the third pick in what was widely viewed as a three-man draft. Still, luck is part of life in the NBA, and they did secure his services.

That's the story of Memphis' summer: They ended the Ja Morant era and began the Cameron Boozer era in one fell swoop. If nothing else, that gives this fanbase plenty to be excited about.

Isaiah Stewart was a masterstroke. Memphis acquired Stewart as part of its broader offseason reshuffling, adding another physical frontcourt option around its young core.

Jordan Hawkins was a reasonable gamble. Maneuvering on draft night to land intriguing wing Karim López was great.

The Grizzlies have put a team around their young core of Boozer, big man Zach Edey, and guard/wing Cedric Coward that makes sense. NBA.com's season preview lists Boozer, Stewart, Hawkins, López, Quinten Post, Kris Murray, and Micah Peavy among Memphis' major offseason additions.

That's how you get a rebuild off on the right foot.

It may not have been perfect, but it was pretty close.

Grade: A