The Memphis Grizzlies stood pat at the NBA Trade Deadline, much to the chagrin of some fans who wanted to see the team make a trade for the sake of making a trade.
But for the rest of us, it was great to see the Memphis Grizzlies play things safe— they were one of just a handful of teams around the Association that elected not to make a trade.
Memphis was armed with some of the best assets of any team in the NBA: three first round picks in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft, multiple expiring contracts of excellent back-up players and an unparalleled team environment that any player would enjoying competing within— and yet they made no trades.
The blockbuster move that has dominated headlines in the days after the trade deadline has been the deal involving Ben Simmons and James Harden.
Watching two players so desperately begging for a trade makes you appreciate how good the Grizzlies have it in Memphis. Few teams around the league have a tighter bond or more chemistry than the team with the third-best record in the NBA. You don’t have to worry about disgruntled stars here in the 901.
By not making a trade for a star player, we got a glimpse of the front office and their philosophy on how they believe the team should be constructed. It boils down to fit sometimes being more important than the perceived stardom a player possesses.
Memphis Grizzlies proving fit can be prioritized over talent acquisition
This front office knows what they are doing. Fans should have total confidence in what General Manager Zach Kleiman and co. have done and are doing to put Memphis in the best possible position to compete for a championship.
Just look at some of the offseason moves that enable Memphis to be in a position to be as good as they are this season.
They traded away Jonas Valanciunas, a player that averaged 17.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg for Memphis last season. He was the team’s leading scorer on some nights and was among one of the best rebounders in the entire league. Most people were vehemently against trading him for Steven Adams. Now they see how well Adams has acquiesced to the team and it’s hard to imagine the team being as successful as they are without him on the team.
Same goes for Grayson Allen. Last season for Memphis, Allen averaged 10.6 ppg. Then-rookie Desmond Bane was averaging just 9.2 ppg. The front office made a gamble that Bane would blossom into a great player and sure enough he has.
Sometime the player everyone is clamoring for won’t solve all your problems. Prior to this season, fans were speculating whether or not the Grizzlies should use their treasure trove of assets to try and trade for an All-Star player like Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine or someone of that caliber.
The front office and this current iteration of players is saying, maybe we don’t need someone like that to get to the next level.
Do we really want the potential baggage that a super star brings with him? The need for x number of touches, the need for x number of plays, the need for x number of minutes per game?
The front office is making all the right moves. Trust in what they are doing, trust that this team can play incredible basketball come playoff time.
This is a spectacular time to be a Memphis Grizzlies fan.