The Grizzlies are firmly in second place in the Western Conference as the NBA approaches its trade deadline. The Grizzlies have been building a very strong roster almost entirely through the draft, but is it now time to make a big mid-season addition?
The Grizzlies are reeling after their last-second loss to the Warriors Wednesday night. They have now dropped four straight games after their 11-game winning streak. Their struggles lately can be attributed to several factors, but there is no doubt that they need much better shooting. They were already a very average shooting team before their recent skid, but It’s been even worse during it. The expected return of forward Danny Green could be part of the solution, but he is 35 and coming off a major knee injury. Even if he can return to form, will that be enough to solve their issues?
As impressive of a job as Grizzlies’ top decision-maker Zach Kleiman has done building this roster organically, at some point he is going to need to make a few in-season moves to try and get the Grizzlies over the top. Is this the year he takes a big swing? Will he stand pat and hope they can right the ship? Will he just add to the back end of the roster? Let’s look at what is most likely to happen first.
Grizzlies are most likely to sit tight at deadline
Zach Kleiman has done an excellent job as the Grizzlies’ top executive since taking over fully in 2019. He kickstarted a new era of Grizzlies basketball with the trading of Mike Conley and the drafting of start point guard Ja Morant. Ever since he has focused on building the roster almost entirely through the draft and small free-agent additions. Only two players, Tyus Jones and Steven Adams, have gotten regular playing time this season and didn’t start their careers with Memphis. While that isn’t a bad thing by any means, it does show you that this front office is not a fan of taking chances on outside players.
That’s why it is very likely that the Grizzlies keep things basically the same as the trade deadline passes on Feb. 9. I don’t personally believe this team is so good that they shouldn’t make some moves, but they do have the benefit of the doubt due to all the injuries they have had. The front office knows how good they have been despite that and I assume they think all they need to do is get healthy. They may be right, but it’s definitely a risk.
Grizzlies could add a veteran shooter to their bench
If the Grizzlies do make a move before the trade deadline, a relatively small move is the most likely one to happen. They desperately need shooting help, and there are a few options available on the market. The Nets appear to be trying to ship out some of their excess shooting, with Seth Curry the best among them. Somebody like Curry or another plug-and-play sniper should be the priority if a move is going to be made. Most of the options out there won’t be any help on defense, but Memphis has plenty of that already. The question would be how much it would cost.
I don’t think this front office would want to part with any of their young pieces like David Roddy, Zaire Williams, or Santi Aldama. For the right player that may not be the case, but I would be surprised if they do anything more than give up some draft capital to facilitate a deal. The other issue is fitting whatever contract they take on into their salary cap.
They have basically no space right now, so taking on even a small contract would take some maneuvering. It may even force them to use Danny Green ($10 million salary) as a trade piece. I would like to have seen how Green looks coming off his injury for more than just a few games before the deadline, but it didn’t happen. Does that mean he is better as a salary filler in a trade than as a player? No, but we may not get to find out.
Grizzlies trade for a huge difference-maker
This scenario is the least likely by far based on the way the Grizzlies’ front office has operated the last few seasons. They are still very young and have almost all their core players locked in for at least the next two seasons. Going all in and giving up major assets for an outside addition just isn’t in their DNA. That being said, this team is clearly in need of a boost of some kind if they want to challenge for a championship this year. Could the recent shooting slump and injury to Steven Adams push them to make a big move? It’s hard to say, but it’s more of a possibility than ever.
There are two players that stand out that would be a massive boost to Grizzlies, with one of them even allowing them to still look to the future as well. The first player is Pistons wing Bojan Bogdanovic, who is having a career year. He is putting up 21.5 points with super-efficient .491/.423/.882 shooting splits. He is still not offering much of anything as a defender or facilitator, but the Grizzlies have plenty of both already. Adding Bogdanovic would allow Dillon Brooks to focus more on defense and hopefully improve his efficiency.
In general, it would lighten the offensive load across the board, hopefully keeping the other perimeter players fresh. The money would be tricky, as would the potential cost, but it could end up being worth it. His deal has two years left on his contract past this season as well, so he could end up being more than just a rental. He is 33, but it doesn’t look like his shooting ability is going away any time soon.
Bogdanovic on the Grizzlies is definitely fun to think about, but an even more valuable wing could be available: OG Anunoby. Anunoby is by far the best two-way player that has been rumored to be available, and he fits the style of player that the Grizzlies love. In a lot of ways, he is a bigger and more efficient version of Dillon Brooks.
Both are most known for their ability as defenders, but Anunoby is younger and a better offensive player. With Brooks set to be a free agent this offseason, Anunoby could be his long-term replacement. He would be very expensive to trade for, however, with reports of three first-round picks and possibly more being the Raptors asking price. That is a steep cost for any non-star player, but would a better chance at a title be worth it? That is for the Grizzlies to decide.