Following the severing of ties with a former Draft pick, the Memphis Grizzlies received an end result much sooner than expected.
In the 2016 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies thought they had sneaked away from Draft Night with two players with star potential.
Who could blame them? Most teams leave the NBA Draft each year sharing the same sentiment.
The Grizzlies walked away with Wade Baldwin in the first round (No. 17), followed by Deyonta Davis after the Grizz made a trade with the Boston Celtics for the first pick of the second round (No. 31 overall).
Of course it was going take time to develop these players. Odds are against rookies in their first year in the NBA. Not every player can become a superstar seemingly overnight, a la Utah’s Donovan Mitchell.
Regardless of odds, Memphis has been in desperation to select star talent via the NBA Draft. 2016 was just not their year. The developmental project was rough enough for the Front Office to cut Baldwin after one season.
Davis, underneath the mentorship of Marc Gasol, was given additional time to show flashes of greatness. Time was ticking quickly.
After a second season in Memphis, Deyonta Davis had shown slight growth, but nothing to be deemed significant. He remained rather raw following a sophomore season where the Grizzlies finished with a disappointing 22-60 record.
Then along came Summer League just months ago. When a player is entering his third NBA season, it is not a good look when he continues to be placed on the Summer League roster. That was the case for Deyonta in July of 2018.
Davis was not the best player on this particular Summer League roster. He was far from it. There still remained a lack of motivation on the hardwood. Some possessions hinted at some real potential, but it was oftentimes followed by a poor read or lack of hustle.
That was not going to work in Memphis. Not any longer.
The Memphis Grizzlies pulled the trigger on a deal that sent Deyonta Davis to the Sacramento Kings along with his Grizzly teammate in Ben McLemore.
This marked the end of the Davis developmental project in Memphis, Tennessee. Even then, it was not the end of Deyonta’s downfall prior to this upcoming season.
The Kings say they have waived center Deyonta Davis.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 22, 2018
Nearly one week ago, the Sacramento Kings emerged into NBA headlines with the news of a roster move to get them down to the league’s 15-man maximum.
Sacramento’s Front Office decided to pull the plug on Deyonta Davis’ shot at making their final roster. He did not make it to training camp with the Kings. He did not even make it to Monday’s Media Day — the Michigan State product was released two days prior.
This is not a good look for the hoops career of Deyonta Davis. However, on the Memphis Grizzlies’ end of things, the Kings’ move confirms that the proper decision was made in the offseason.
Memphis did not find success in experimenting with Deyonta. They invested more time in him than they did with Wade Baldwin. Yet, it was time to move on, especially considering the team had luckily landed Jaren Jackson Jr. in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Though his time with the Memphis Grizzlies is now history, the book is not closed on Deyonta Davis’ basketball career. He may go on to play several more seasons with various NBA teams in the future, but for now, the Grizzlies assuredly won the trade with the Sacramento Kings.