The Memphis Grizzlies just pulled off one of the more high-profile trades in recent memory, sending Jonas Valanciunas to New Orleans for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, and a handful of upgraded 2021 NBA Draft picks.
While Steven Adams is a serviceable player who can step right into the Grizzlies’ starting lineup, there are more question marks surrounding the other player attached in the trade in Eric Bledsoe.
Bledsoe is still a pretty strong NBA player, but his numbers don’t agree with the salary that he was promised. Even so, Bledsoe still holds a lot of value in this league. The obvious decision here may be to cut him and eat his $3.9 million guaranteed money but that may not be the best choice. Here’s why.
The Memphis Grizzlies could throw Eric Bledsoe into a trade package
Before I get too ahead of myself, I want to specify that Eric Bledsoe will not be sticking around in Memphis. Theoretically speaking, it’s possible, but there have already been reports released that the veteran guard would not be around for long. Here’s one of them from Chris Haynes, an NBA Insider for Yahoo! Sports.
Eric Bledsoe, who New Orleans included in a trade package, is not expected to stay in Memphis, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 26, 2021
So this begs the question — what are the Memphis Grizzlies going to do with Bledsoe?
The smart thing to do in this situation would be to hold onto him and look for a good trade that can either bring in a younger player or send Memphis further up the totem pole that is the 2021 NBA Draft. That said, trading him isn’t a sure thing, as he’ll cost a team $19 million over the course of the 2021-22 season.
Even so, Bledsoe is coming off of back-to-back All-Defensive team selections, so he’s still one of the better defensive guards in the NBA.
The Grizzlies should look to bundle the former Pelican in a package that helps them move closer to the top-5, where they could land a third star to help Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. We’ve heard it the whole offseason — the Grizzlies are one piece away from contending — and Bledsoe could be the key to getting that piece.
At the end of the day, a simple fact remains true — we will almost definitely never see Eric Bledsoe walking around in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform.