No 4. The Memphis Grizzlies trade Jarrett Culver before the NBA Trade Deadline
Jarrett Culver appears to have done well enough in recent games to increase his trade value . The only problem is, he’ll be a free agent after the season is finished. Would a team in the mix for the playoffs want to roll the dice and see if they can squeeze a few months of action out of Culver to get into the playoffs/play-in?
Of the players currently on the roster, Culver seems the most expendable. Back-up point guard Tyus Jones could be a hot commodity at the deadline. The Grizzlies will have to weigh their decision heavily on how to handle him at the deadline. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
No 5. Memphis earns home-court advantage in the playoffs by season’s end
As we all know, finishing inside the top-four in your conference guarantees you home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies have been bouncing back and forth between third and fourth place with the Utah Jazz.
The Mavericks and Nuggets are in the mix for the fourth seed as well.
As long as Luka Doncic remains healthy and Porzingis continues to gel with his new coach, Jason Kidd, the Mavericks are team to keep an eye on as the season progresses and home court advantage is up for grabs.
If Jamal Murray comes back for Denver, the Nuggets could see a late-season surge to get that third or fourth seed.