3 Realistic trades to make Grizzlies serious threats in Western Conference

Could the Memphis Grizzlies pry Kyle Kuzma away from the Wizards via trade?

A really interesting trade for the Grizzlies to kick the tires on would be to explore what it would cost to acquire Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards.

Last season, Kuzma had a career-best type of season. He averaged 17.1 ppg, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 apg. He shot 45.2% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc.

With Jaren Jackson Jr. being unavailable for the first half of the season due to injury recovery, it might make sense to bring in Kuzma to help fill the gaps in his absence.

Once Jackson returns, you could keep him in the starting lineup and have Jackson slide to the five-spot. Kuzma is a bit more consistent offensively and Jackson could focus on defending the paint.

Or you could keep Steven Adams at the five and bring Kuzma off the bench. He’d be a great pairing with the second unit and would provide much-needed bench scoring.

Come playoff time, Kuzma would be indispensable against the Draymond Greens and Karl-Anthony Towns of the world.

Would a trade centered around Dillon Brooks and a stash of draft picks be enough to get a trade  done with Washington? You might have to throw in a first round pick somewhere in there.

The 6’9″ stretch four is dynamic enough to play multiple positions and could play with the starters or come off the bench. Washington gets a win-now veteran to help lock things down on defense and make a hard push for the playoffs.

With two full seasons left on his contract and entering his age 27 season, this is a deal worth striking, especially if extension talks with Brooks aren’t productive.