Hanifan’s offseason outlook: Evaluating the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2026 offseason

The calendar has turned to September. You know what that means, right?! Our offseason outlook series is back for the third-straight year!

Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! We will be going in alphabetical order, beginning with the Eastern Conference. To continue along, we will be diving into the Memphis Grizzlies’ summer.

Previous offseason outlooks:

Evaluating the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2026 offseason:

Additions: Isaiah Stewart, Jerami Grant, Jordan Hawkins, Kris Murray, Quentin Post, D’Angelo Russell

Subtractions: Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Taj Gibson

Re-signed: ——

Draft: Cameron Boozer (No. 3 overall), Karim Lopez (No. 21 overall)

Hanifan’s outlook: Less than a year after trading guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in a shocking move, the Memphis Grizzlies decided to completely restart this offseason.

Last season was marred by injuries and coach-player drama surrounding star guard Ja Morant, as well as injuries to several key rotation players, such as Zach Edey, Scotty Pippen Jr., Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome and Cedric Coward, among others. The Grizzlies decided to trade star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline, and parted ways with Morant this offseason, tearing apart the core that got them to the Western Conference semis in 2021-22.

Amid that teardown, the Grizzlies, who finished just 25-57 last year, scored the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, landing Duke star Cameron Boozer. Boozer, 18, isn’t flashy, but has impacted winning at essentially every stop he’s been at. He’s super strong and is a very good 3-point shooter, floor processor, passer, rebounder and team defender — covering up for his poor vertical athleticism at 6-foot-10.

Drafting Boozer was the highlight of their summer. I also loved them adding Isaiah Stewart for three future second-round picks; he fits Memphis and that organization’s culture to a T. However, I wasn’t as bullish on the return for Morant, which was Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. They essentially swapped bad contracts, and Morant has much higher upside than Grant. I don’t view this is a clear upgrade, especially since Memphis should be prioritizing its young core in the short- and long-term.