How the Grizzlies could fleece the Mavericks for Kristaps Porzingis

The Memphis Grizzlies pull in a player who could make them unstoppable

Grizzlies Receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Dwight Powell

Considering what the Grizzlies gave away, their returns aren’t great. An injury-prone “has-been” who has only played in more than 57 games twice in his seven-year career doesn’t sound like a great return. But here’s why he could help Memphis.

It’s clear at this point that the Grizzlies are willing to take chances on guys who aren’t the same player that they used to be. They did this with Jarrett Culver by bringing him over in a trade with the Timberwolves. They also took a big chance on a player who didn’t look great in college when they drafted Ziaire Williams.

The chance here would be taken on Kristaps Porzingis, who is similar to Jaren Jackson Jr. injury-wise. That said, Porzingis has already shown his NBA All-Star ceiling, reaching the All-Star game in 2018.

I could give you a long description of how Porzingis plays, but it’s really quite simple and familiar — he’s a more proven, taller version of Jaren Jackson Jr. Porzingis can knock down the three-point shot as well as any big man and blocks over two shots a game when he’s healthy.

It would be like having two JJJ”s on any given night — the Grizzlies may not allow a single shot within the three-point line for the entire year. Memphis would be giving up a handful of low-ceiling players, so this one could pay off. That said, it’s high-risk, high-reward.

How does this trade work, you ask? The next slide shows the trade detailed with a description of whether or not each team benefits from the deal.