Mario Chalmers will finally get the chance to prove himself once more after the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies struck a deal for the long-time point guard.
Chalmers, a key player in the two National Basketball Association (NBA) titles that the Heat won back in 2012 and 2013, found himself out of the mix when the Heat acquired Goran Dragić last season.
The deal involves Chalmers and James Ennis who were shipped to the Grizzlies in exchange for Beno Udrih and Jarnell Stokes.
The transaction helps the Heat clear out some cap space with the $4.3 million salary of Chalmers taken out of the mix. It remains to be seen if the Heat will be keeping Udrih and Stoke since the deal was reportedly delayed a bit because Miami was hoping to involve a third party, which would have likely been the team the two players would be sent to.
For Memphis, the arrival of Chalmers hopes to provide the Grizzlies a big shot in the arm, considering their disappointing performance thus far.
Despite being touted as one of the favored teams in the competitive Western Conference, the Grizzlies are off to a faltering start with a 3–6 record as of this writing.
Chalmers is already in Memphis but was relegated to spectator when the Grizzlies lost yet again to the defending champion Golden State Warriors, 100–84.
For his part, Chalmers says that the best thing he can do once he suits up officially for Memphis is defend and provide some shooting for the squad.
His coming could also free up some pressure on Mike Conley who has gotten little help from his teammates. It is unsure if he will be immediately elevated to the starting unit, although it could mean that he or Conley may alternate as point guard and/or shooting guard, depending on how head coach Dave Joerger calls it.
