THE Memphis Grizzlies They may not have made a lot of moves this offseason, but the ones they did make were pretty strategic and geared toward winning now.
The most important decision made by the franchise during these summer months was undoubtedly this one choose to refuse the final year of Luke Kennard’s contract and, ultimately, renew with him a new contract that is more favorable to the team.
As fans probably know, the reunion between the two parties didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it took about a month to reach a financial agreement, which ultimately allowed the veteran take a $2.8 million pay cut to stay with the Grizzlies.
While for some the decision to settle for $11 million was a bit questionable considering his initial salary for 2024-25 was estimated at $14.8 million before his option was ultimately declined, it seems Kennard is perfectly happy with how things have played out as he recently revealed his main goal this offseason was to remain in Grind City.
“There are a lot of different conversations that happen throughout this process. I worked with Zach [Kleiman] “He’s been very supportive of me every step of the way. He’s been very upfront, very honest with me and I’ve respected that a lot. I’m glad we finally made a decision and what we’ve come to. I told him I want to be in Memphis. This is where I want to be. I’m excited about what they’ve built here over the last few years. I just wanted to be a part of it,” Kennard said.
Kennard continued to emphasize that his mindset throughout the process was that he wanted “to be in Memphis” and that he and the team “expressed a mutual interest in that.”
Since joining the Grizzlies at the 2022 trade deadline, Kennard has become a key figure in Taylor Jenkins’ offensive system, particularly when serving as a kicking target for the attack-oriented Ja Morant.
Luke Kennard beats the shot clock from DEEP 💧 pic.twitter.com/HABPYfJZgT
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 10, 2024
In his 63 career games with Memphis, the sharpshooting guard continued to post impressive per-game averages of 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while hitting 47.5 percent of his field goal attempts from the floor and 48.3 percent of his attempts from deep.
Even last season, despite nagging injuries and constant changes to the supporting cast, the veteran still had a remarkable run with the club, posting 11.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.0 percent from distance, second-best in the entire association behind Suns sniper Grayson Allen.
Kennard’s decision to take a pay cut helped him move closer to the dreaded tax threshold and further away from the first arduous apron along the way.
