Brandan Wright

The 29-year-old Wright has turned into somewhat of a journeyman, spending time with six different franchises since entering the league as a lottery pick in 2007. Despite strong per-minute numbers, Wright has never truly found a good fit, starting just 56 of his 372 career games. He’s also dealt with a bevy of injuries throughout his career, and a pair of knee injuries limited him to 12 games last season, when he was expected to be a key contributor off the bench behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Expected back at full strength in time for training camp, Wright is penciled into a similar role in 2016-17. If he’s able to stay healthy -- Wright has topped 65 games only once in his career -- he could see enough minutes behind the aging Randolph to hold late-round value, but at this point it’s difficult to trust Wright, given his checkered history.

Appearing in 75 games with the Mavericks, Celtics, and Suns in 2014-15, Wright recorded averages of 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 19 minutes per game. He shot 64 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line and will be a welcome addition to a Grizzlies' bench that lost Kosta Koufos to the Kings in free agency this summer. Wright, who turns 28 in October, isn't likely to play a ton of minutes unless the Grizzlies are hit hard by injuries, but he's a mobile big capable of setting screens, diving to the rim, and finishing with either hand.

Brandan Wright is entering his seventh season in the NBA and fourth in Dallas. Wright had a career year during the 2013-14 campaign, setting career-bests in points, rebounds, minutes, and field goal percentage. He finished the season averaging 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 19 minutes per game. He played in 58 games after missing the start of the season recovering from a fractured shoulder. Wright continued to be efficient with the ball as he shot 68 percent from the field on 5.7 attempts per game and 73 percent from the free-throw line on 1.8 attempts per game. His 23.6 PER (player efficiency rating) placed him 13th in the league as he maximized his time on the court. The addition of Tyson Chandler will keep Wright in the second unit, but he's versatile enough to serve as a potential backup for Chandler or Dirk Nowitzki. Wright is a surprisingly weak rebounder given his athletic ability and height, but he could improve on those numbers with an increase in minutes. He runs the floor well and will benefit from playing alongside players like Monta Ellis, Devin Harris, and Chandler Parsons. Wright will never be the primary option on offense, but he'll have a chance to score off of lobs and rebounds.

Once considered a lottery bust, Wright resurrected his career with two productive seasons in Dallas. After exploring his options, he re-signed with the Mavericks and will bolster their bench once again. He will see time at forward and center, and although he's efficient with his shot selection, he's never averaged more than 8.5 points for a season. Still, he's a good source for blocks and has plenty of upside if his role in Dallas continues to expand.

Our projections really like Wright coming off a significant season in Dallas. A combination of increased playing time and his crazy successful field-goal percentage (61.8 percent) was sweet music to the projection tool. Unfortunately, in the real world, we’re less sanguine about Wright heading into the 2012-13 season. Wright used his athleticism to great advantage against slow-footed centers and became an alley-oop/dunk star. Nearly all of his production came near the rim. And Rick Carlisle was loath to move him away from that position, so Wright saw much of his time at center, a position where the Mavericks tired of the perpetually disappointing Brendan Haywood. Wright won’t get nearly the same run this season with Kaman and Brand around. He doesn’t shoot well enough in the mid-range or deeper to space the floor, which is part of Carlisle’s offensive philosophy. If you’re playing in an exceptionally deep league with large active rosters, Wright could be a boon for field goal percentage, but his general lack of extended playing time will typically limit him to being roster worthy in only deep leagues.

Plagued by shoulder injuries, the former lottery pick signed in Dallas after a brief stint with New Jersey. He’s long and tall and coach Rick Carlisle has hinted he could see some time at the center position. Dallas has had some success with former lottery guys like Brandon Bass and Gerald Green, but Wright remains near the bottom of the depth chart.

Had the Warriors not signed Lee, Wright may have been an interesting fantasy sleeper, but unfortunately, Lee does everything Wright can do, and much better. Wright is also hampered by the fact that a shoulder injury forced him to miss all of last season. When healthy, Wright displayed a decent low-post game and recorded more than 2.5 blocks per 48 minutes. If Lee misses time, Wright could have the opportunity to show that potential again, but until then, his contributions will be negligible.

While there’s still time for change, the Warriors’ draft day trade of Jason Richardson for Wright looks like a pretty big loss at this point. Wright showed marginal improvement during his second year in the league, but it was hardly eye-opening. Still, he’s only 21 years old and did manage to average one block in just 18 minutes per game. Wright is extremely athletic, but his shot has a long way to go, and his basketball IQ remains a work in progress. His style of play would seem to be a perfect fit for the Warriors’ fast-break system, but coach Don Nelson doesn’t appear to be a fan, and there were even rumors of Wright being on the trade block. Assuming he remains in Golden State, Wright is once again looking at a bench role, especially with the emergence of Anthony Randolph. Even if Wright shows marked improvement during his third year in the league, there’s only so much Wright can do with limited court time. The Warriors have at least five-to-six superior scoring options, so Wright will have to make most of his impact on the glass and swatting away shots.

In his rookie season, Wright showed flashes as to why the Warriors traded Jason Richardson for him in a draft day deal last year. Wright is an active rebounder and shot-blocker who should continue to develop as an offensive player. He played sparingly last year, but did average 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in six starts last year. He should serve as a backup to Al Harrington at power forward this year.

The Warriors traded away one of the faces of their franchise (Jason Richardson) for the rights to Wright on draft day so expectations will be high for the rookie. The good thing for Wright is the Warriors are stacked with offensive threats so he can focus primarily on rebounding and blocking shots. Wright, who averaged 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks last year at the University of North Carolina, should serve the role of an energy guy off the bench (10-15 minutes per game) as one of the backups to Al Harrington at power forward.