Grizzlies have roster crunch to solve before opening night

The Grizzlies have 18 players on standard contracts. They’re allowed to keep 15. You can probably figure out what comes next.

Memphis is expected to waive three players with guaranteed salaries before opening night unless it can find a trade, with Micah Peavy, Jordan Hawkins and Kris Murray among those most vulnerable, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, as relayed by Hoops Rumors.

Peavy’s situation may be the toughest. The 25-year-old wing was acquired from the Pelicans in September but has been sidelined by an ankle injury. That means he won’t have much of an opportunity to make his case during training camp before Memphis has to make its roster decisions.

The Grizzlies have accumulated young players throughout their rebuild, particularly on the wing. Peavy is competing for space on a roster that already includes Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Cameron Boozer, Karim Lopez, G.G. Jackson and several others.

Hawkins arrived alongside Peavy in the New Orleans trade, while Murray came from Portland as part of the Ja Morant deal.

That’s the strange part about rebuilding. Teams spend months collecting young players and draft assets. Eventually, there are only so many lockers. Memphis has reached that part of the process.