The Memphis Grizzlies have had a ton of luck in the NBA Draft lately. Normally this would be a good thing, and it is, but it does pose a problem for GM Zach Kleiman and the rest of the front office on Beale Street.
For starters, there is a bit of a backup on a roster that is loaded with young talent. As we approach the return of Jaren Jackson Jr., this team will be looking at five starting-caliber big men. That’s not to say that they’d all be perfect starters, but this team has more talent than it needs down low.
The team started the year with Jonas Valanciunas, Brandon Clarke, and Gorgui Dieng, but with the emergence of former Michigan State basketball standout, Xavier Tillman, things get a little bit more complicated. Not to mention the return of his former Spartan teammate, JJJ. This Grizzlies team will be loaded with serviceable talent by the end of the year.
Not all of these Memphis Grizzlies have room on the roster
At this point, it becomes a numbers game. Sure, Dieng and Valanciunas bring experience, but are they completely necessary to this team’s success, or could some reshuffling happen to brighten the team’s chances at a championship in the future?
You may see rookie mistakes from Tillman, but is Dieng’s experience worth the massive contract that he brings along with him? There are multiple guys who could fill in if he were to be traded, so this comes down to whether or not the Grizzlies’ front office sees this as a viable move before the trade deadline.
Which big men could be traded for the Memphis Grizzlies?
Memphis Grizzlies trade options: Center position
In a position-less 2021 NBA league, it’s hard to distinguish who specifically fits at the center position for this team. Just look at rookie Xavier Tillman. In college, he was a sure-fire center and fully capable of defending any NCAA big man that you throw against him. But at 6’8″, there are plenty of power forwards, much less centers, that he couldn’t defend quite yet in this league.
That’s where things get tricky – it’s not so black and white. That being said, the Grizzlies definitely aren’t as deep at center as they are at the power forward position. There’s only one true center on this team in Jonas Valanciunas. He may be older than most of the other guys, but he’s an extremely valuable member of this squad.
The other center on the squad, Gorgui Dieng, isn’t as true to his position. At 6’10”, we see him flip-flop between center and power forward. That being said, Jaren Jackson Jr. holds down that role with more success, so upon his return, Dieng’s value nearly disappears entirely.
Dieng will be an unrestricted free agent after this year, but getting his $17 million contract off of the books could open the door for some huge pickups in Memphis. It wouldn’t be an easy trade, but it would be ideal for this team if they could get it done.
Memphis Grizzlies trade options: Power forward position
If you didn’t know what the word “logjam” meant, you’d probably be able to take one look at the Memphis Grizzlies power forward position and gain an immediate understanding.
With four guys who could play meaningful minutes at this position, it would be smart to get somebody off the payroll if possible. Once Jackson Jr. is back, there will be very limited minutes for anybody else. Jackson averaged 28 minutes last season, a number that we’ll likely see shoot up by the end of the year.
This, once again, turns eyes in the direction of Gorgui Dieng, Xavier Tillman, and Brandon Clarke. Does it make sense to have all of these guys on the roster if one of them will likely be riding the bench?
Dieng will be gone soon and holds a big contract, but will be difficult to trade. Tillman is young and promising, but likely won’t hold much value in a trade. Brandon Clarke seems too valuable of a young player to trade unless a significant offer is put on the table.
But any one of these guys could go and help the Grizzlies build for the future.
Memphis Grizzlies trade options: Small forward position
Yes, technically the small forward position does not fall under the “big man” category, but there are some things worth mentioning at this spot.
Because of the recent return of Justise Winslow, the logjam actually extends downward to the small forward spot. We’ve seen the emergence of Kyle Anderson, but there wasn’t a distinctive second guy to fill in there.
Now, that guy is Winslow. His level of play, combined with Anderson’s, doesn’t leave much room for a third guy. This transfers the logjam even lower, but the issue can be directly attributed to the return of Jaren Jackson Jr. So are any of these guys eligible to be traded?
Winslow is not going to be traded, he just got here. Anderson, on the other hand, will likely not be more valuable at any other point in his career than he currently is. He’s valuable to this team, but could create some attractive trades. That being said, it’s unlikely that he gets traded either.
More realistically though, this creates an opportunity for the Memphis Grizzlies to trade Dillon Brooks. He’s a pretty heavy contributor, but is one of few guys on this team who have regressed from last year. Part of that could be due to the aforementioned overload at his position, but his playing time is only going to diminish with Jackson’s return and a shift in the lineup.
He has a reasonable, fresh contract, so he should be an attractive target for teams. I’m not sure that the Grizzlies will actually ever do this, but it’s something to think about.