Cam Boozer Era Begins. But Memphis Still Has 17 Guys and Only 15 Roster Spots.

The Memphis Grizzlies have officially turned the page. Ja Morant is gone, shipped to Portland in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. all left before him. Now the only guy still around from that 56-win 2021-22 team was Santi Aldama, and he just got dealt to Dallas for AJ Johnson and a pile of picks.

This is a full rebuild. Not a retool. Not a reload. A strip-it-down, draft-and-develop, patience-required rebuild.

And Memphis actually has a real foundation to build on. They own the third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, almost certainly bound for Duke superstar Cam Boozer. They also have two other first-rounders coming in via Karim Lopez and Richie Saunders. The blueprint is clear: do what Oklahoma City and San Antonio did. Accumulate young talent, let them grow, and only spend assets when the core is ready to compete.

But here’s the thing nobody is talking about yet. The Grizzlies currently have 16 guaranteed contracts on the books, and that number jumps to 17 once Boozer and Lopez sign their rookie deals and the Isaiah Stewart trade becomes official. Taj Gibson and Scotty Pippen Jr. have non-guaranteed deals for next season, but let’s be real. Pippen has been one of the best backup guards in the league the last two years. He’s not going anywhere on a $5.2 million contract over two years. So that’s 17 bodies for 15 standard roster spots. And they still need to figure out what to do with Saunders.

Something has to give.

Here’s the list of guys who should be untouchable: Boozer, Cedric Coward, Lopez, Zach Edey, Stewart and Ty Jerome. That’s six. Walter Clayton Jr., Pippen, Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells? Those four are probably safe too. Wells started all 69 games last season as a 22-year-old 3-and-D wing on a rookie deal. That’s not a guy you move unless someone overpays.

Grant is interesting. He has two years and roughly $70.6 million left on his deal. The Grizzlies need wing scoring, so keeping him makes sense for now. If he plays well in a bigger role, he could be a trade chip at the deadline. But he’s not a guy they just dump for nothing.

That leaves a group of players who could realistically be on the move: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Taylor Hendricks, Kris Murray, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, GG Jackson and AJ Johnson.

Caldwell-Pope is on an expiring $21.6 million deal. He gives veteran leadership and could be useful in a trade later in the season. But he’s also exactly the kind of steady presence a young team needs. The smart play is probably to keep him and let him walk in free agency.

Hendricks, Prosper and Jackson are all young guys who could be part of the future, but they’re also on the final year of their contracts. With Boozer and Lopez demanding heavy minutes at forward, the frontcourt is going to be crowded. Something has to give.

The most likely odd men out are Murray and Johnson. Murray is a career 25.9 percent shooter from three, and with all those forwards in front of him, he’s going to struggle to find minutes. Johnson came over in the Aldama trade but hasn’t done much in his first two NBA seasons. He’s young and cheap, so a rebuilding team with a backcourt opening might take a flier on him. Murray probably gets waived.

Memphis doesn’t need to rush another trade. They have time. The draft is coming. Training camp is months away. But roster math doesn’t lie. Somebody is leaving.

And that’s the cost of starting over. You get the picks, the young talent, the future flexibility. But you also get a roster that looks more like a tryout than a team.

The Grizzlies have made their big move. Now they have to figure out the small ones.