Grizzlies may be thinking of trading Zach Randolph

Amid reports that the Memphis Grizzlies might be open to trading small forward Rudy Gay, there are rumblings that the team might be in full fire sale mode. The Grizzlies are looking to get under the luxury tax and might unload power forward Zach Randolph to do it.


Griz CEO Jason Levien, whom principal owner Robert Pera has entrusted to run the franchise, is gauging the value of several players on the roster. There also have been exploratory trade conversations centered on forward Zach Randolph.

The Sacramento Kings are one of the teams with whom the Griz recently held preliminary talks, according to a league source.

Moving Randolph could prove to be a big mistake for the Grizzlies as Randolph probably is the most popular player in Grizzlies history. He and center Marc Gasol have a good working relationship and he's a favorite among fans and teammates.

I understand that it's all about the bottom line, but this that could be a critical mistake for a team with designs on contending for a championship.

Zach Randolph involved in car accident

Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph is trying to find his rhythm after coming back from knee surgery and missing a good portion of this NBA campaign. Randolph is a walking double-double and is slowly finding his way as the Grizzlies try to secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference NBA playoffs.

What Randolph didn't count on was being involved in a car accident that left him with a sore back by his own admission. Randolph did not participate in the team's shootaround and replied to a text message that asked if he was ok.

Randolph replied: “Yes. My back is just a little sore.”


A preliminary Memphis Police Department report stated that Randolph was driving his 2011 Dodge Charger westbound on the 385 exit ramp toward 240 when his vehicle was struck in the rear by a 2000 Honda CRV. There were no visible injuries on the scene and no one was transported in an ambulance. The driver of the Honda received a citation for Failure to Maintain a Safe Lookout.


The Grizzlies are battling with the Los Angeles Clippers for the fourth seed and home court in the first round. They'll need Randolph at nearly full strength to make a run. Even with him trying to find his rhythm that would be good enough for the Grizzlies. If the back is going to be a problem, it could be a first round flameout for Memphis.

Four Players Still Getting Paid During The NBA Lockout

The NBA lockout doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. You know what that means. There will be players that won't be getting paid. That also means they'll have to stretch those millions for an undisclosed amount of time.

But if your Ben Gordon, Zach Randolph, Al Farouq Aminu, and Caron Butler the checks will keep rolling. That's because their agent, Raymond Brothers who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months in case the lockout forces the cancellation of games.

Smart move by their agent and the players for co-signing the deal.

"They will not know financially that they're in a lockout," Brothers told USA Today.
"If there is a lockout, you'll able to pay your bills."

So while there will be players grumbling about paying child support and car insurance, it won't be from any of these guys.