Chandler Parsons, four years, $94 million, Memphis Grizzlies
When Memphis gave Chandler Parsons a massive deal, it had to know he was a massive injury risk. Apparently, the franchise just ignored that factor. Parsons was in and out of the lineup, never playing more than eight games in a row, until the Grizzlies shut him down in March with a partially torn meniscus.
The 34 games Parsons played this season were a career low, and he hasn’t played over 70 since 2013-14. And while a 34-game sample size, taken while a player was dealing with various injuries, is far from indicative, Parsons didn’t look great when healthy.
Parsons scored just 11.2 points per 36 minutes, with a 7.6 PER. One of the bigger reasons Memphis signed him was to help its spacing, but Parsons shot just 33.8 percent from the field. From three, he was a lowly 26.9 percent. Defensively, Parsons has never been particularly strong and this season was no different. The Grit-n-Grind were nearly four points per 100 possessions worse defensively when Parsons was on court.
Again, take heed in small sample sizes, but this looks bad for everyone involved. Next season, Parsons will be coming off knee surgery. In two years more he’ll be in his thirties and will being paid $24.1 and $25.1 million. Parsons was Memphis’ first big free agency get, ever (not including Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, who were members of the team before they signed big contracts.) A year in, it looks like the Grizzlies may be better served building through the draft.