When the Memphis Grizzlies traded Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, a future second-round pick, and a 2021 pick swap, many fans didn’t know what to make of the deal.
It looked like Bledsoe was only included in the deal to help the Grizzlies move up to the 10th-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, where they landed on Ziaire Williams. This, however, doesn’t seem to be the case, especially as time goes on.
After immediately announcing that Bledsoe wouldn’t be on the roster for the 2021-22 season, it was unclear what Memphis planned to do. Many fans even started to believe that he may remain a Grizzly after weeks had passed with no trade sending him elsewhere.
Even if they did manage to make a trade, it seemed like they would have to be stiffed in order to get him off of the books. It wasn’t necessarily a negative, it just seemed inevitable that Memphis was going to take some damage from the original deal that moved them up in the draft. Then it happened.
The Memphis Grizzlies have received an unbelievable amount of value from Eric Bledsoe
I usually would avoid using a word like “unbelievable,” but if you look at the value that Memphis has received in exchange for Eric Bledsoe — that’s exactly what it is. The snowball started when Memphis traded Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley, and Daniel Oturu.
This deal was actually a win-win, with both sides getting assets that could help them with what they need. The next deal wasn’t so friendly for the opposing team.
The Grizzlies would turn around and trade Beverley, one of the three players that they received in exchange for Bledsoe, for Jarrett Culver and Juancho Hernangomez. This trade was a terrible look for the Timberwolves, sending their 6th-overall pick from a couple of years prior and a really solid role player in exchange for an aging point guard.
This is where I’d like to take a step back. Here’s what the Grizzlies dealt out involving Bledsoe.
Grizzlies get: Rajon Rondo, Daniel Oturu, Jarrett Culver, Juancho Hernangomez
Grizzlies give: Eric Bledsoe
It seems unfathomable and downright impossible for the Grizzlies to have salvaged that much value out of an aging veteran point guard who was coming off of one of the worst seasons of his career. Still, Zach Kleiman did it, giving us a reminder of how he’s one of the best general managers in the game.
The best part? They’re not done here.
With more than a handful of really solid role players, the Grizzlies will be looking to package them together and trade for a higher-profile player or future draft picks. Right now, Memphis has more trade capital than they know what to do with.
If you didn’t already believe that Kleiman was great at his job, his 2021 offseason thus far should prove that to you even further.