Free agent guard Mario Chalmers has been cleared to return to the court after tearing his Achilles in March while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Chalmers himself:


In 55 games for the Grizzlies, Chalmers averaged 10.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds with a true shooting percentage of 57 percent. While he only made 32.6 percent of his 3-pointers, he had the best free throw rate, usage rate, assist percentage and turnover percentage of his eight-year career. There is no good time to rupture your Achilles, but it seemed particularly cruel that it happened to Chalmers when he was playing such an important role for the Grizzlies and in a contract year.

Mario Chalmers with the Grizzlies
Mario Chalmers is coming off an awful injury. USATSI

It is unclear how long it will take Chalmers to fully recover and play like himself. In general, the market for 30-year-old role players coming off serious injuries is not great. There are a few teams, though, that should consider taking a chance on him:

  • Grizzlies: They are already familiar with Chalmers, and they might not want to make Wade Baldwin the full-time backup point guard immediately. Point guard Tony Wroten is on the roster, too, but he has years of knee trouble to overcome.
  • Kings: They have a full roster right now, but they have the weakest point guard rotation in the league: Darren Collison is the starter, Garrett Temple is the backup, and that is it.
  • Knicks: New York should consider adding another point guard behind Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings as injury insurance. Also, regardless of position, the Knicks just need more proven players on their bench.
  • Cavaliers: Not only does LeBron James have history of winning championships with and yelling at Chalmers, the Cavs could use another point guard after Matthew Dellavedova's departure. Chalmers might not be the annoying defender that Delly is, but he's more capable of keeping guys in front of him than Mo Williams.

One thing to keep in mind: According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, when the Miami Heat traded Chalmers to Memphis last season, they did so partially because they didn't think he'd handle a smaller role well. Wherever he eventually lands, it is unlikely that he will be promised significant minutes.