3 Reasons why the Memphis Grizzlies won’t trade for Kyrie Irving

No. 1: Just about any trade would involve Mike Conley

The Memphis Grizzlies don’t have any young assets, so just about any trade would involve Mike Conley or Marc Gasol. Truthfully, Conley would be the most logically option to leave.

If the Grizzlies swapped Gasol for Irving, they would be depleted in the big man department. How are you supposed to contend in the West when your best big men are Brandan Wright and Deyonta Davis? A Kyrie-Conley backcourt is so enticing and could probably put this offense in the upper echelon. However, the Grizz would have a bottom-tier defense if they gave up Marc.

If the Grizzlies swapped Conley for Irving, it might ignite a flurry of problems. For starters, Conley is the leader in the locker room and moving him could strain the locker room. More importantly, it might make Marc Gasol upset. Gasol is important to the Grizzlies’ scheme, and he re-signed with them with the expectation that Conley was going to be his point guard. This trade would damage their relationship with a franchise cornerstone.

Then, is Kyrie Irving really that much of an upgrade over Conley? Obviously, Kyrie is a phenomenal scorer, one of the best in league. His handles are out of this world, and he may be the best non-dunking finisher of all time. In addition, he’s risen to the occasion and hit legendary clutch shots. However, the stats show that Conley is right there with him.

Must Read: Comparing the Analytics: Conley and Kyrie

I’m not saying Conley is better than Kyrie, but I’ll say that this trade wouldn’t do much to help or harm the Grizzlies’ playoff chances.