3 interesting trade partners for the Grizzlies
The offseason is about to heat up. Which teams make the best trade partners for the Memphis Grizzlies?
The NBA draft is less than 2 weeks away, and the NBA Finals is halfway over. Here soon, the offseason will start to sizzle. Trade rumors will fly, smoke will appear, and moves will materialize — some expected, others surprisingly.
For the Memphis Grizzlies, the main development will be how many games Ja Morant is ultimately suspended for. However, there are reinforcements needed on this roster, particularly at the starting 3 position with the likely divorce with Dillon Brooks.
There’s a bit of offseason information out there right now to keep in mind, as it could pertain to the Grizzlies relatively soon. As more intel comes out, more trade possibilities will appear. A lot of deals made are ones where players become surprisingly available.
With that, there are 3 interesting trade partners for the Memphis Grizzlies, one that could check some boxes for the team’s offseason priorities.
Some assumptions:
The other party has an expendable starting-caliber wing.
Said starting-caliber wing can shoot.
Tyus Jones is likely on the move, as he’s the best asset in terms of money-matching and production.
No, Ja’s suspension isn’t a factor. They’re planning for April-June, not for October-December.
The other team has a starting point guard position open. Jones has earned a chance to be a starting point guard in this league. Zach Kleiman has taken care of traded players by moving them to winning/favorable situations. It wouldn’t shock me if Tyus is dealt somewhere he could be PG1.
Toronto Raptors
Have to get the obvious one out of the way. The Grizzlies and Raptors make a lot of sense as trade partners for various reasons.
OG Anunoby is likely the best realistic option on the market for the Grizzlies, a true needle-mover on the trade market. There’s a title contender within a 6-man combination of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Anunoby, Steven Adams, and Luke Kennard. Either the starting lineup with Adams or a closing lineup with Kennard would be cinema.
Anunoby fills the Dillon Brooks role more efficiently. He’s one of the league’s best perimeter defenders — hounding any archetype of player and racking up defensive events (1.9 steals per game, led the NBA) with his 6’7”, 250 pound frame and 7’2” wingspan. He also knocks down the 3-ball at a strong clip:
40.6% on catch-and-shoot 3’s
41.5% on “wide open” 3’s
45% on corner 3’s
He’s a crystal clear fit — providing Morant and Bane optimal floor spacing for driving lanes, and co-piloting an elite defense alongside Jackson.
In Toronto, they’re in a weird crossroads, with rumors of a rebuild looming. They’re currently looking at a new head coach, with 3 of the 4 finalists comprising of assistants looking for their first job, according to Marc Stein — including Grizzlies’ Darko Rajakovic.
In addition, Fred VanVleet is an unrestricted free agent that could be on the move. Jones could potentially serve as a stopgap veteran point guard to help Toronto navigate a rebuild until they trust a young player with the keys. There may not be a better pilot to start a rebuild than Tyus Jones, especially if Rajakovic locks in the head coaching job.
The Grizzlies have young guys and picks the Raptors could be interested, especially if they’re offering a plethora of them. They already offered 3 first-round picks for Anunoby. Do they revisit it?
Given the Raptors’ direction, their head coaching search, and them possessing the best possible upgrade at the 3, all eyes will be on the 6 for the Grizzlies’ offseason hopes.
Brooklyn Nets
Breaking: the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t getting Mikal Bridges. Mourn with me. It’s a shame, I know.
That reality doesn’t impact other discussions, though.
Cam Johnson is another name Grizzlies faithful are drawn to. Restricted free agents are tricky players to acquire, especially when Cam might be the best one available. It may not come down to a money amount to get the Nets to not match. It may take a gaudy offer for them to let him go.
Does Tyus Jones, Ziaire Williams, and 2 1sts move the needle? I’d guess no.
However, the Nets have a wing surplus, so other names: Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale.
Finney-Smith is the more appealing name of the 2. He possesses more size on the wing with the ability to slide down to the 4. DFS in the starting lineup will make that unit huge. DFS at the 4 with Big 3 + Kennard lineup will space the floor a lot.
He didn’t shoot it well in Brooklyn (33.7% last season), but he’s proven capable of playing off elite playmakers and knocking down shots — even in big moments (42.6% from 3 in postseason, 2nd among players with 150+ 3-point attempts in the last 3 playoffs. Sick find, Shawn Coleman). In Dallas, he shot between 37.6-39.5% from 3 on roughly 4-5 attempts per game over 3 seasons.
He doesn’t captivate casuals as a defender, but he has the size and lateral quickness to lock up the perimeter — 98th percentile in On-Ball Perimeter Defense and 91st percentile in Off-Ball Chaser Defense, per The B-Ball Index.
Royce O’Neale is another interesting one out there. His size is a question mark, as some outlets say he’s 6’6” and others say 6’4”. That’s a swing factor for any trade. A 6’4” O’Neale make their Big 3 + Kennard lineups incredibly tiny.
However, he’s a good rebounder (5.1 per game last year) and an improving playmaker (2.5 to 3.7 assists per game last year). He also grades out as a another quality perimeter defender — 90th percentile in On-Ball Perimeter Defense and 95th percentile in Off-Ball Chaser Defense, per The B-Ball Index.
O’Neale has been an above-average shooter his entire career, connecting on at least 38% of his 3’s in 4 of the past 5 seasons (the lone exception was 37.7%).
With a trade for DFS or O’Neale, they wouldn’t have to sell the farm. Pitched by friend of the blog Joe Mullinax of Bluff City Media, they can even use Jones and the 25th pick to swap and trade up. The Nets have both the 21st and 22nd picks and flip either one (likely 22nd). The Grizzlies net their wing; the Nets acquire a point guard. Both teams stay in the same range — and the Grizzlies could even toss in 1 of the 45th or 56 picks, even though the Nets are getting the better player.
A trade of that caliber could help the Grizzlies reassess their young wing trio of Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, or David Roddy — while maybe adding another one to the mix with a 1st-round pick. They could either emerge as the long-term answer at the 3, or resuscitate their value for the Grizzlies’ next move.
The Grizzlies and Nets have had recent conversations at the deadline. Acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale may not be sexy, but it could get the job done for the Grizzlies.
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a wild card this summer. After treading mediocrity for awhile, a full rebuild may be on the horizon under new management. People will have their eyes on their trio of Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma.
Long are the days of a #BealOnBeale trade. Thank you, Desmond Bane.
The agenda to push is a sign-and-trade deal for Kyle Kuzma. He may have gotten the Laker shine a bit, which caused some to sour and slap an “overrated” label on him. However, he’s become a much more all-around player in Washington — boasting a 21-7-3 statline last year.
Kuzma would be so good in the Grizzlies’ context. He could play off Ja, Bane, and Jackson as the 4th option — while cooking more when he scales up to a larger role in staggered lineups. He adds more creation juice as a scorer and passer. His size makes the starting lineup jumbo, and he doesn’t sacrifice size in “small-ball” lineups at the 4.
There are questions. His outside shooting is mediocre, as he’s only shot above 35% from 3 in 2 of his 6 seasons in the league. His volume might make up for it, as he made 2.5 three’s per game on 7.5 attempts, and he’s effective in the corner (40.7%). He’s grown as a defender — 90th percentile in On-Ball Perimeter Defense. Can he be trustworthy to be the team’s main defensive stopper on the perimeter for a title contender? That’s a fair question to ask.
Sign-and-trades are tricky to gauge, but Kyle Kuzma would be a no-brainer acquisition for Memphis.
A smaller trade acquisition — one where a move for the starting 3 should happen first — would be Delon Wright. Familiar with him? The triple-double legend?
The veteran backup point guard would be a welcomed addition, if the Grizzlies shake up their perimeter. His size (6’5”) allows him to play next to Ja Morant, and could even serve as a pseudo 3 in a pinch for 3-guard lineups. He’s a quality floor general (3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio for his career), and he’s an elite disruptor on defense. He averaged 1.8 steals per game — 2nd among players that played 41+ games — and generated 4.9 deflections per 75 possessions (98th percentile, per The B-Ball Index). Creating chaos through cycles is a MO for the Grizzlies, and Wright is a player that’d fit their philosophy right away.
While those squads are 3 teams to really watch for as trade partners, here are quick “honorable mentions”:
Chicago: People will try to cook up some trades here. The Lonzo Ball situation makes a point guard a positional need. However, DeMar DeRozan isn’t a clean fit. They’re not trading Zach LaVine or Alex Caruso.
Atlanta: Their payroll is loading up, and they have more financial decisions to make with extensions for Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, and Onyeka Okongwu. Could the Grizzlies overpay with draft capital to poach Deandre Hunter?
Detroit: An intriguing sign-and-trade team to monitor (that’s for another day though).
It takes 2 to tango, and any of these teams could make for good partners for the Grizzlies, as there’s incentive on both sides to strike a win-win deal.
Stats found on basketball-reference
If you choose to support my Substack, SubTsakalidis — aka “SubTsak” — follow this link to my St. Jude fundraiser page for my wife’s fundraising team, “Allie’s Allies.” If you choose to subscribe, all proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.