'Disappointed' Chandler Parsons Is 'Ready to Play' After Leaving Grizzlies

Chandler Parsons and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a separation, with the team seeking trades to move the veteran forward, and Parsons released a statement on the matter, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

"I am extremely disappointed that I didn't get to finish this season alongside my teammates and the Memphis coaching staff. Unfortunately that option wasn't presented to me.

"The Grizzlies training staff medically cleared me to play 5-on-5 in mid-December and I have been practicing with the team ever since. I will continue to work out and train until my agent and the team reach a resolution. I am ready to play and committed to getting back on the court."

According to Woj, Parsons and the Grizzlies "couldn't agree on a G League assignment plan that would assure Parsons of his return to the active NBA roster this season" as the veteran forward recovers from another knee ailment.

"We met with Chandler and spoke with him and his representation numerous times during his rehab process, laying out a number of options to help integrate a healthy and effective Chandler back on to the floor," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace noted.

Once Parsons abstained from going to the G League, "the organization preferred that Parsons leave the team until a resolution on his future could be worked out with his agent," according to Woj.

Per that report, the Grizzlies have not been willing to give up a first-rounder to move Parsons and the $38 million he's still due between the end of this season and next year, though they are willing to take on a long-term contract to facilitate a trade and still think he'll hold value as an expiring contract on the market, even if they don't trade him until the summer.

It's hard to imagine any team willingly absorbing that contract, however. Contenders won't want to absorb the cap space. Younger rebuilding teams will want draft assets in return for taking that contract off the Grizzlies' books.

Parsons' career has been marred by knee injuries, as he's appeared in just three games this season and has played in just 73 games over the past three seasons. The 30-year-old went from averaging 14.1 points per game in three seasons with the Houston Rockets and 14.8 PPG in two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks to just 7.0 PPG with the Grizzlies.

His strong play earlier in his career convinced the Grizzlies to sign him to a four-year, $94 million contract ahead of the 2016-17 season, a move the team likely would love to reverse.

"Obviously, Chandler had done some interesting things as a player during his time in Houston and Dallas, and his skill set fit what we needed," Wallace said Monday, per David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "He was by far the best option at that time, so we took him. Unfortunately, he's been injured since then, and it's where we are today after those injuries."