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Solomon Hill — New Orleans Pelicans

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Atlanta Hawks Acquire Chandler Parsons in Three-Player Deal with Memphis Grizzlies

On July 7th, 2019, the Memphis Grizzlies traded forward Chandler Parsons to the Atlanta Hawks for forward Solomon Hill and center Miles Plumlee.

For small market NBA teams, high-priced free agent signings are a risky proposition. Not many high-level free agents want to play in places like Indiana or Memphis, so it forces them to offer lucrative deals to convince that free agent to sign. This situation happened in Memphis in 2016, when the Grizzlies signed forward Chandler Parsons to a max four-year, $94 million contract.

The fit seemed ideal. The Grizzlies had gone far enough with the core of center Marc Gasol, guard Mike Conley, power forward Zach Randolph and wing Tony Allen, but they needed better offensive play on the wing and at the four. 

A hybrid forward, Parsons had shot 38% from the three-point line up to that point and had become a legitimate offensive weapon in his stops in Houston and Dallas. He could be the player to give Memphis’ sometime plodding offense a jolt.

There was one caveat to the signing of Parsons. Injuries had severely limited him the past two years. He missed the end of the 2015-16 regular season and the playoffs with surgery on the meniscus in his right knee. The year prior to that, Parsons had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee. The knee issues were why his incumbent team, the Mavericks had opted not to re-sign the forward and let him walk.

Parsons’ right knee issues cropped up as soon as Grizzlies training camp began. Expected to be ready for the beginning of the season, Parsons missed the first six games. He returned for six contests on a minutes restriction before missing the next 18 games.

Parsons would return, but was ineffective and limited still. He never played more than 25 minutes a game. Overall, he ended up playing 34 games before he was shutdown for the rest of the season with a partial meniscus tear in his left knee. Parsons ended up with 6.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.6 APG and 0.6 SPG in 19.9 MPG.

The Grizzlies got off to a solid start under new coach David Fizdale during the 2016-17 season, going 17-8 in their first 25 games. They peaked after 61 games, reaching 36-25. With the team at 40-30, they went 3-9 to fall to 43-39. The Grizzlies finished seventh in the West. 

They played the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Spurs took the first two games of the series at home. Grizzlies guard Mike Conley dominated in Games Three and Four as Memphis tied the series 2-2. The Spurs won the next two games to win the series 4-2.

Memphis shed some of the grit and grind era in the offseason, allowing veterans Allen and Randolph to walk in free agency. The Grizzlies brought in Tyreke Evans and Mario Chalmers (free agency) as well as rookie Dillon Brooks in the draft.

Parsons was out for much of the season once again with right knee soreness, maintenance on the knee that kept him out of back-to-backs and abdominal pain. He ended up playing in 36 games (eight starts) and amassed 7.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.9 APG and 0.5 SPG in 19.2 MPG.

Meanwhile, Memphis was really hit by the injury bug. Mike Conley missed 70 games due to a sore left heel and achilles tendon. The injury eventually required surgery. Without key fixtures like Conley, the Grizzlies struggled. They were 5-1 in their first six games and 7-6 through 13 games before Conley’s longterm injury.

After Conley’s injury, Memphis went 15-54 over the next 69 games to finish 22-60, the franchise’s worst record since the 2007-08 season. In the midst of their disappointing season, coach David Fizdale (who had feuded with Gasol) was fired and replaced by assistant J.B. Bickerstaff.

Thanks to their bad record, the Grizzlies wound up with the fourth pick, where they selected forward Jaren Jackson Jr. from Michigan State. With Conley returning and Jackson at power forward playing alongside Gasol at center, Parsons’ role became even more cloudy.

By his third season with the Grizzlies, Parsons’ injury had taken its toll on the strained relationship between player and organization. Parsons played the first three games of the 2018-19 season before he was forced to sit out with right knee soreness. The day-to-day status of the injury eventually transformed into an indefinite absence.

Parsons was medically cleared to play December 21. Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace requested that Parsons go on extended assignments with the Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. Parsons declined on two separate occasions. 

Eventually, Wallace and Parsons agreed on the forward training away from the club in Los Angeles for a month. Memphis looked for a potential trade to dissolve the souring relationship, but couldn’t find takers for Parsons’ onerous contract and shaky medical history.

After much consternation, Parsons returned in late February and played the rest of the season for a Grizzlies club that was out of the playoff race. The forward played in 22 of the team’s final 23 games, averaging 7.7 PPG on 37% shooting. Parsons finished with 7.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 SPG in 25 contests and 19.8 MPG.

Memphis began the season a surprising 12-5, but their success was short-lived. They dropped 25 of their next 32 games to fall to 19-30. Memphis shifted from a playoff contender to a rebuild when they traded longtime star center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors. 

They also traded key role players JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Grizzlies began prioritizing playing their younger players and suffered in the loss column, finishing 33-49.

Memphis’ rebuild continued in the 2019 offseason. The team traded Conley to the Utah Jazz and drafted point guard Ja Morant with the second overall pick. Another move was getting rid of Parsons with a trade to the Atlanta Hawks for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee. Memphis had tried to negotiate to a buyout with Parsons, but both parties couldn’t come to terms.

With just one year left on his deal, the Grizzlies were basically able to swap out Parson’s high expiring salary ($25.1 million) and break it into two smaller expiring deals in Hill ($12.7 million) and Plumlee ($12.5 million). 

The Hawks also were able to free up a roster spot after the deal. The major plus of course, was Memphis and Parsons splitting after a failed partnership.

Parsons turned out to be unable to become a franchise savior and the third option in Memphis. For the Grizzlies, spending $94 million on an ineffective and oft-unavailable player was damaging and played a part in the team’s fall from a consistent playoff team to a team on the come up.

Parsons ended his time in Memphis with a stat line of 7.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.6 SPG in 95 appearances. The forward shot 39% from the field, 34% from the three-point line and 78% from the free-throw line.

Miles Plumlee joined the Atlanta Hawks after he was traded by the Charlotte Hornets with Marco Belinelli and for Dwight Howard. Both teams swapped second rounders in the deal. Atlanta had entered a rebuild when they let free agents Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. sign with other teams. Trading Howard was also a signal of that as well.

Plumlee got off to a slow start on and off the court after he was traded to Atlanta. He was arrested for marijuana possession (charges were later dismissed). Plumlee also missed the beginning of the 2017-18 season with a strained right quad.

When he returned to the lineup, Plumlee became a starter after Dewayne Dedmon suffered an injury. Plumlee started 34 of 35 games (4.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 17.4 MPG) before losing his spot in the rotation to a returning Dedmon. 

Overall, Plumlee was a solid rim runner on offense and good on defense, posting a modest 4.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.8 APG and 0.5 BPG in 55 games (35 starts) and 16.7 MPG. The Hawks were one of the worst teams in the NBA that season, going 3-15 in their first 18 games. They finished with a 24-58 record.

Atlanta underwent massive changes the next season. First, the team and coach Mike Budenholzer parted ways and general manager Travis Schlenk hired Lloyd Pierce as his replacement. On the personnel front, the team acquired three first round picks in the 2018 draft in Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman. 

With Dedmon, Alex Len and Spellman all vying for minutes at the center, Plumlee’s minutes were reduced. He appeared in 18 games (4.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 0.9 APG in 9.6 MPG) before having a lingering left knee issue that kept him out of action. He had a non-surgical procedure on the knee in early January. Plumlee re-injured the left knee while trying to return from injury and had to have season-ending cartilage arthroscopic surgery in late March.

Solomon Hill was acquired by the Hawks in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans that allowed them to draft forward Deandre Hunter in the lottery. Soon after, the Hawks redirected Hill and included Plumlee in the trade for Chandler Parsons from the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Plumlee ended his stint with Atlanta with a stat line of 4.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.8 APG and 0.5 BPG in 73 games. He shot 60% from the field and 48% from the free-throw line.

After the trade, Parsons was on the Hawks roster, but was either inactive or didn’t play due to coach’s decision for much of his time there. His run in Atlanta ended quick after he was injured in a car accident that involved a man who was arrested for drunk driving. Parsons suffered what his representation Morgan & Morgan characterized as “multiple severe and permanent injuries including a traumatic brain injury, disc herniation and a torn labrum.”

Soon after, Parsons was waived to make room for the newly acquired Clint Capela. Parsons played in just five games with the Hawks, averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 10.8 MPG.

Plumlee saw limited time in preseason before being waived by the Grizzlies in training camp. Hill was somewhat of a surprise in Memphis, becoming a rotation piece for a youthful Grizzlies squad on the rise. The Grizzlies lost 13 of their first 18 games, but eventually started to come around under new head coach Taylor Jenkins and reach .500.

Hill played in 48 games and posted 5.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 18.8 MPG. Hill was traded to the Miami Heat with Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala in a three-team, seven-player deal that saw Justise Winslow head to Memphis. Memphis was 25-25 at the time of the trade.

Chandler Parsons on joining the Hawks (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution):

“So excited. Just to have a fresh start with an organization like the Hawks is incredible to me. The young core that they have is really something special. I’ve seen if from afar. When you look at the depth they have and the age that these kids are, it’s impressive. Hopefully, we can keep these guys together for a long time. They have a chance. I’m excited to come and help anyway possible – lead these young guys, try to stay healthy and contribute any way I can this last year and we’ll see what happens.”

On his bad luck with injuries:

“It’s unfortunate. No one wants to get hurt. Everyone wants to play. You see all the stuff off the court, your contract, but when you are not doing what you love, it hurts. The last three years have really taken a toll on me and it was frustrating. But at the same time, I still have a lot left. When I’m healthy, I’m still an efficient, good player in this league.”

On getting back into the swing of things after injuries:

“Starting to basically go full-go. I’ve been working out for a month or two. Feel good. Body feels good. Knees feel good. I’ll be ready to go.”

Image Credit:

Chandler Parsons: Getty Images/Scott Cunningham

Solomon Hill: Getty Images/Joe Murphy

Miles Plumlee: Getty Images/Zach Beeker

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Solomon Hill vs Hornets (W):

8 points

7 rebounds

2 assists

2 steals

1 block

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