7 players the Memphis Grizzlies gave up on too soon

1. PG Kyle Lowry

If you judged Kyle Lowry’s future based on his time with the Grizzles, not a single person would think he’d turn out to be a six-time All-Star. However, following his trade to the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors, Lowry would become one of the better point guards of the 2010s.

Lowry would be selected 24th overall in the 2006 NBA Draft and after two and a half seasons of poor play, Lowry would eventually be shipped off to the Rockets for nothing substantial. While Lowry would be pretty darn good with the Rockets, he didn’t really break out of his shell until he joined the Raptors.

While losing Lowry wasn’t a very big deal at all considering that they drafted Grizzlies legend Mike Conley the same season they traded him. However, having this player alongside Conley or even off the bench would have made the Grizzlies so much better.

Regardless, replacing an All-Star point guard with an All-Star point guard worked out pretty well for the Grizzlies. So as much as it would have been nice to see them keep Lowry around, we’re not surprised they gave up on him so early.

Memphis Grizzlies: 15 players who defined Grit and Grind

The "Grit and Grind" moniker is synonymous with Memphis Grizzlies basketball. Here are the 15 players who have defined this era of Grizzlies hoops.