The Memphis Grizzlies are no strangers to veteran shooting guard Kyle Korver. In 2019, the Grizzlies acquired Korver as part of a trade that saw his stay in Memphis last for… one day.
Okay, fine. Maybe he has no connection to the Grizzlies. That said, he would make an excellent addition to the youngest team in the league.
The Memphis Grizzlies have been much better than expected in Jaren Jackson Jr.’s absence. At this point in the season, the Grizz find themselves as the 8th seed in the Western Conference with a winning record. After a losing season in 2019-20, this is a huge step forward for a team without their second-best player.
The Memphis Grizzlies are missing shooting and experience, cue Kyle Korver
There are two areas where this Grizzlies team struggles. Shooting and experience. Sound familiar?
Shooting and experience are the only two things that Kyle Korver can still do as an NBA player. At age 40, Korver would become the oldest active player in the NBA at 40 years old. The next oldest is Andre Igoudala at age 37.
If Korver were to join the Memphis Grizzlies, he would become the oldest player on the roster by 12 years.
In his career, he has been a great player for his entire career. The elite shooter only has one NBA All-Star appearance but has been an above-average player for the entirety of his stay in the league.
After buying out Gorgui Dieng’s contract, Korver could fill a very important role on a Grizzlies roster that needs to put a band-aid on their team before the NBA Draft. In the draft, they’ll likely have an opportunity to pick up a 3-and-D guy who will fill this role, but for now, Korver should be their guy.
Throughout his career, Korver has been arguably the most consistent shooter in the history of the league. He has kept his 3-point shooting above 40% for as long as fans can remember. At his peak, he was able to convert more than half of his shots from downtown into buckets. If he came to the Grizzlies, he would bring this type of boost to a bad long-range shooting team.
Whether or not the front office on Beale Street would consider signing a player of his age is unclear. That said, he would play a crucial role in the development of young shooters on this team like De’Anthony Melton, Desmond Bane, and Grayson Allen.
Memphis doesn’t desperately need Korver on their roster, but he should be on their target list without Gorgui Dieng on the roster.