Memphis Grizzlies: Re-grading Patrick Beverley trade with the Timberwolves

The Grizzlies deal with the Timberwolves gave Memphis a stepping stone toward one of their biggest offseason goals

In order to fully understand this trade, we have to go back a step further. To get Patrick Beverley in the first place, the Grizzlies gave up Eric Bledsoe, a player who was actually working against them in terms of cap space. Getting Bledsoe off of the books alone was a win, and Memphis managed to get two strong players in return.

One of those players was Jarrett Culver. Just over two years ago, Culver was the sixth overall pick in the NBA Draft. Even though his ceiling isn’t as high as many people originally thought, he was never given a fair chance. When Minnesota drafted Anthony Edwards, Culver’s chances of breakout out shrunk even more drastically.

The guard has averaged 7.3 points and has shot the ball poorly in his two-year career. There aren’t a lot of positives attached from what we’ve seen. Even so, it’s clear that he hasn’t even sniffed his ceiling, and being in a dumpster fire of an organization in Minnesota won’t help anyone’s cause.

That said, nobody in the league has developed talent the way that the Grizzlies have. If there’s a place where Culver can rejuvenate his career — it’s Beale Street.

The other part of the deal was Juancho Hernangomez, a really solid NBA role player who, if we’re being honest, was never going to make this Grizzlies roster. Hernangomez averaged 12.9 points per game with really strong shooting splits in 2019. In 2020, he regressed slightly, but still held a lot of value.

The Grizzlies flipped him to the Celtics for Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards, which seemed like a fair deal for both sides. Here’s why it benefits the Grizzlies.