Quinten Post is embarking on a new chapter after departing the Golden State Warriors this offseason, but life at the Memphis Grizzlies may not last as long as his three-year, $30 million contract would suggest.
Post’s free agency deal with the Grizzlies is only guaranteed for the first season, leaving suggestions already that he could be used as an expiring contract in a trade prior to February’s mid-season deadline.
Grizzlies could use Quinten Post as matching salary in a mid-season trade
Post has yet to step foot on an NBA floor in a Grizzlies uniform, but that hasn’t stopped Third Apron’s Yossi Gozlan from discussing the 26-year-old’s trade candidacy as he enters a pivotal third season in the league.
They overpaid for Post but on a very short-term deal, and if things don't work out they've got a trade chip in him. They could try to use his non-guaranteed salary the same way they used Taj Gibson's," Gozlan said.
The seven-footer enters the season presumably behind Zach Edey and Isaiah Stewart when it comes to young big man options in the rotation. That could limit his minutes in the rotation, which in turn would place question marks over his future with the franchise much earlier than one would suggest for a player who was just targeted in free agency.
The Grizzlies could simply waive Post after the season and not carry a cap hit, but it would make sense to use his salary in a trade before February’s deadline if they can flip him for a different player who they believe could be part of the longer term outlook.
Quinten Post might wind up in free agency again next year
Post understandably took the cash in restricted free agency this offseason, having found a deal from a young rebuilding team that the Warriors weren’t willing to match given their proximity to the second apron and given it was amid their pursuit of superstar forward LeBron James.
But while he got a bigger salary than most would have envisioned, it’s difficult to see Post even getting enough opportunity to play up to that value in order to convince Memphis (or another team in the event of a trade) that it’s worth guaranteeing the second year.
The Grizzlies offered Post his first real pay day in the league after the Warriors drafted him 52nd overall in 2024, but it’s clear that his future is still up in the air and that Memphis might only be a temporary move for the Dutchman in his NBA journey.
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