4 Biggest Storylines for the Grizzlies in February

No Trades for the Grizz

As the Grizzlies stood pat and leaned towards continuity, some Western Conference foes made some strong moves.

The lottery-bound Mavericks added Nerlens Noel, a young center who could compliment Harrison Barnes and their potential top-10 pick for years to come.

New Orleans is in great position to grab the eight seed now and contend in the near future. They added DeMarcus Cousins, the NBA’s best center, to compliment the best power forward in Anthony Davis.

The Oklahoma City Thunder added a playoff-tested big man in Taj Gibson and lights-out shooter Doug McDermott, making it harder for the Grizz to avoid a first-round date with the Spurs.

Then, the Houston Rockets added even more scoring power, if they already didn’t have enough to begin with, by trading for Lou Williams.

Some of the moves may not affect the Grizzlies this year, but they could feel the effects of them next season and beyond.

The main reason why the Grizz didn’t make any moves was because of the signing of Toney Douglas and the return of Brandan Wright.

While the health narrative is acceptable, every team has returning players, and the Commercial Appeal’s Geoff Calkins points it out:

"The Grizzlies essentially acquired Douglas and Wright? Does that mean that the Thunder acquired Enes Kanter (who is returning from a fractured forearm), the Clippers acquired Chris Paul (who is returning from a torn ligament in his thumb), and the Jazz acquired Rodney Hood (who is returning from a sprained knee ligament)?"

Every team has health issues and will be working players back into the system. Hopefully, Chandler Parsons and Brandan Wright come alive during the late-season stretch and the playoffs. If not, the Grizzlies may be kicking themselves for not adding another piece.