Nothin' But Nets
Fansided

NBA: Preseason Ranking for the Western Conference

By Tj Porreca

Jul 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kevin Durant addresses the media in a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 7, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kevin Durant addresses the media in a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 16
Next

6.  Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies had quite an expensive offseason.

The Grizzlies were able to win the services of Chandler Parsons on the free agent market by signing the former Houston Rocket and Dallas Maverick to a four-year max deal, worth $94 million. Parsons is an impressive signing, and his addition should pay dividends for Memphis.

But their spending didn’t stop there. Memphis rewarded one of their own, in a massive way. Memphis signed guard Mike Conley to an NBA record five year deal, worth $153 million. The deal is the largest contract, as far as total money, ever signed in the NBA.

Memphis will get a healthy Marc Gasol back, and retains the majority of their veterans overall. Zach Randolph returns, as does Vince Carter, Tony Allen, and others. However, Memphis will need their key pieces to hold up as many are in their 30s. Randolph is 35, Allen is 34, and Carter is 39.

Along with their veterans, Memphis has a few very fascinating young players, in Deyonta Davis and Wade Baldwin IV. With such a veteran-infused roster, it’s unclear how big of a role these two rookies will have, but they should be impactful in the future.

If Memphis is able to stay healthy, they should absolutely have another playoff run this season.

Next: No. 5