Free Agent Mo Williams Signs Two-Year Deal with Portland Trail Blazers

On Wednesday, Mo Williams agreed to a two-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers worth approximately $5.6 and has a player option for the second season. Williams chose the Blazers over such contenders as the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Memphis Grizzlies. He apparently decided to sign with Portland because they offered more money than the other teams in the chase were willing, or able in some cases, to spend.

Williams is a ten-year NBA veteran and was one of the best remaining free agents still available on the market. He spent last season with the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 12.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game in 46 games, all of which he started. He has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Milwaukee Bucks throughout his career.

With the addition of Williams, the Blazers will have a loaded back court this season including Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, C.J. McCollum, Earl Watson, Allen Crabbe, Will Barton, and Terrell Harris, although he is likely to be let go to make room for Williams on the roster. The Grizzlies will now have to begin considering other options as they search for a player capable of spacing the floor.

The Grizzlies were already interested in potentially signing Beno Udrih even before Williams chose to go to Portland, so don't be surprised if talks between the two sides intensify in coming days. Other options the Grizzlies could potentially explore include Delonte West, Antawn Jamison, Richard Hamilton, Al Harrington, Tracy McGrady, DeShawn Stevenson, and Stephen Jackson. While West and Jamison have previously been linked to Memphis, the others are just options I feel would be worth taking a long look at.

Richard Hamilton scored 16.2 points per 36 minutes and shot 43% percent in limited action last season with the Chicago Bulls. Al Harrington has dropped 20 pounds and is looking to join a contender, and he also would almost definitely provide a boast in scoring off the Grizzlies bench. Tracy McGrady signed with the San Antonio Spurs for the playoffs this past season and showed he still has something left in the tank as a bench contributor. Stevenson and Jackson are both veterans who can score and are accustomed to playing off the bench for large portions of their careers.

Almost all of the players I just listed could be signed for, or at least close to, the veteran's minimum. Most of them would also likely agree to a one-year deal, meaning the Grizzlies wouldn't have to commit any long-term money and also wouldn't lose much if the signing didn't work out for some reason for the team. Either way, the Grizzlies will likely still try to add at least one more player between now and the start of training camp despite missing out on Williams and don't be surprised if it's one of the names mentioned above.

The Top Five Targets That the Memphis Grizzlies Could Still Sign

While the Memphis Grizzlies have a majority of their roster in place for the upcoming season, the team's front office is still meeting with free agents so it would seem likely that the team hasn't quite finished making additions to the team.

The Grizzlies have already added Kosta Koufos, Jamaal Franklin, and Mike Miller this offseason via a trade, the draft, and free agency, respectively, and the team also re-signed Tony Allen and Jon Leuer. However, adding one final player could be the difference between another trip to the Western Conference Finals and an NBA championship.

This is a list of five free agents that I think would fit best with the Grizzlies and give Memphis the best chance at winning a championship. Some of them have met with the team or are interested in signing with Memphis, while one or two are options I think the Grizzlies might be wise to explore as well.

- Mo Williams: Jason Levien, the Grizzlies CEO, met with Williams in Memphis on Tuesday and presumably discussed potential contract options that would land the ten-year NBA veteran guard with the Grizzlies. Multiple reports have stated that Williams would like to sign with a contender, and Memphis would provide him with a legitimate chance at winning the first championship of his career and the first in franchise history.

While Williams wants to play with a title contender, he also doesn't want to sign for the veteran's minimum unless he absolutely has to. He supposedly would prefer signing with the Miami Heat if the only offers he receives are for the minimum. However, the Grizzlies have nearly all of their $5.15 million non-taxpayer's mid-level exception they could offer Williams, while the Heat could only offer $3.183 million with their tax-payer's mid-level exception.

Williams has spent time with the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers in his career. He made $8.5 million last season with the Jazz, however, he already knows he won't get anywhere near that at this stage of his career, especially with a contender. While he may not be as good as he was a few years back, Williams is still a career 44% percent shooter from the field and has shot 39% from downtown (which is fifth best among all unsigned players). That kind of shooting would be a huge addition for the Grizzlies to use spacing the floor.

Beno Udrih: The Grizzlies are rumored to have interest in signing nine-year veteran guard Beno Udrih, especially if Mo Williams decides to sign elsewhere or demands too much money. Udrih spent last season split between Milwaukee and Orlando after he was traded in the deal that sent J.J. Redick to the Bucks.

Udrih has averaged 9.1 points and 3.6 assists during his career in 23 minutes per game and would be an excellent addition to a back court that already features Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Jerryd Bayless, Jamaal Franklin, and Mike Miller. He has a career shooting average of 46% from the field and has shot 35% from three point range.

While he might not be quite as talented as Williams, Udrih could probably be signed for significantly less depending on what kind of offers he receives from other teams. Besides the Grizzlies, there are supposedly at least four other teams interested in adding the veteran guard to their teams, including the New York Knicks, although they have been linked to a large number of guards in recent weeks.

Delonte West: West didn't play in the NBA last season and was last seen playing for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2011-12 season, however, he has drawn interest from the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks this offseason. While West may have issues off the court that have troubled him in the past, he has always been a talented player that has contributed to several winning franchises throughout his career.

The eight-year veteran has career averages of 9.7 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game in stints with the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Mavericks. He has played in 58 playoff games during his career, and he also has experience from advancing in the postseason during his time playing with LeBron James in Cleveland that he could bring to the Grizzlies.

With multiple reports suggesting that New York is out of the running for his services, the Grizzlies could probably land West for the veterans minimum unless a mystery team suddenly develops interest in signing him. Considering all 32 teams took a pass last season, West better hope he lands a spot with someone this season or might not get another chance in the NBA.

Antawn Jamison: Jamison is reportedly only interested in signing with four teams: the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, and Memphis Grizzlies. The 15-year NBA veteran met with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers for dinner on Saturday night, and while no offer was formally made, their representatives are supposed to meet again in the near future.

While Jamison is nearing the end of his career, he is one of the best shooters still available at any position, as he has shot 45% from the field and 36% percent from three during his career (which is eighth best among all unsigned players). The Grizzlies already have a loaded front court with Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Ed Davis, and Kosta Koufos, however, you can never have too many talented big men that can space the floor.

At worst, Jamison would provide first year Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger with someone who could play five to ten minutes a night in the front court, space the floor for other shooters on the floor, and have another body that can draw six fouls. He has tremendous career numbers of 18.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, however, his numbers took a steep drop last season with the Los Angeles Lakers where he only averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Lamar Odom: While Odom clearly and desperately wants to remain in Los Angeles with either the Clippers or Lakers, it remains to be seen whether or not either one of them are interested in signing him. Odom has played with both teams, most recently the Clippers, however, neither seems to be in a rush to re-sign the forward. If he is eventually forced to look elsewhere to continue playing, Memphis would provide him with a city to contend and perhaps get a little bit of revenge.

Odom, who has career averages of 13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, would give the Grizzlies someone who could play either forward position and could possibly step in at center in some small ball line-ups. While he has been in the league 14 seasons and is coming off one of his worst, Odom could still potentially be solid contributor for a team that is chasing a title.

However, it's unlikely Odom would be able to stay 100% focused on the Grizzlies and winning between having to deal with his celebrity wife, Khloe Kardashian, their reality show, and their constant desire to be in Los Angeles. Also, Odom would likely demand more money than the Memphis front office would be willing to pay the forward. Considering they have most of the pieces in place for next season, don't expect the Grizzlies to cripple their cap to sign anyone at this stage.

News & Notes On The Memphis Grizzlies Latest Moves

- Memphis is reportedly interested in signing veteran free agent Mo Williams. While there are plenty of teams still in the race for the point guard who averaged 12.8 points per game for the Utah Jazz last season, Marc Stein of ESPN reports that Williams has now started to strongly consider joining the Grizzlies.

Any contract would likely only be for one or two seasons, as the team doesn't have the cap space to offer Williams the kind of long-term deal he is searching to land this offseason. If he were to sign a one year deal with Memphis, he would have the opportunity to once again play for a contender and then have the option next summer to return or try to sign with a team long-term for more money.

Williams has played in the spotlight before, as he was one of LeBron James best teammates during his days in Cleveland and helped lead the Cavaliers deep in the playoffs on a couple of occasions. After spending last season with the struggling Jazz, Williams is strongly leaning towards joining a contender for the season at this point after a lack of interest around the league in giving him the deal he wants.

- Mike Miller has decided to return to the Memphis Grizzlies. Miller chose returning to Memphis after being courted by a number of teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and others. He has said he decided to return to the Grizzlies because he believes they are the closest team to being ready to make the NBA Finals in the West.

Miller played in Memphis from 2002-08 and still has a home in the area. While he was a big contributor to the Heat over the past few seasons, Miami was unwilling to pay the massive tax hit that would've came if they had decided to keep him. If can stay healthy, which has always been a problem for Miller, he could be the missing piece the Grizzlies lacked during this most recent postseason run.

Expect the coaching staff to play Miller on limited occasions during the regular season in an effort to keep him near 100% for when the playoffs begin. New head coach Dave Joerger would be wise to let his younger players get the minutes during a bulk of the regular season, then start working Miller comfortably into the line-up towards March or April for the postseason.

- The Grizzlies and second round pick Jamaal Franklin have officially agreed to a three year contract, with the third year being a team option. Franklin, who Memphis selected with the 41st overall selection, was considered a late first round pick by many scouts and has been viewed as one of the steals of the second round by many draft analysts.

Franklin spent three years at San Diego State and averaged 16.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in his final season with the Aztecs. He is also talented on the defensive side of the ball, making him a solid all-around addition to the team. However, he needs to work on his shooting, especially from distance, as Franklin only averaged 27% from three last season.

If he can develop his shot, Franklin could turn into a very solid contributor off the bench for the Grizzlies. While he may struggle to get minutes early in his career, I wouldn't be surprised if Franklin eventually becomes one of the team's most important players on the bench. He could also develop into one the team's best defenders, as many people have started to compare Franklin to teammate Tony Allen on that end of the floor.