Wild Grizzlies trade proposal lands new $136 million All-Star cornerstone
By Mark Nilon
The Memphis Grizzlies already seem to have one of the most formidable cores in the association with the likes of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane headlining the pack. Still, there’s an argument to be made that they could use one more top-flight talent to thrust themselves into the legitimate contender conversation.
On July 16, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes constructed a trade hypothetical with the Toronto Raptors that he believes could be enough to accomplish such a goal.
The proposed exchange reads as follows:
Considering the fact that they hold the rights to all their future first-round picks, possess the rights to the Golden State Warriors 2024 first-rounder, and roster a slew of promising youngsters such as Brandon Clarke and Ziaire Williams, Hughes believes that now may be the time to “cash in their chips for a difference-maker,” and suggests that perennial All-Star Pascal Siakam is an ideal target to pursue.
“Try to argue with a straight face that you’re not interested in what a lineup of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Siakam and Jaren Jackson Jr. could do. Defensively, this group would be monstrous in Memphis. With length and athleticism abound, the Grizz would have multiple grab-and-go threats to push the pace off misses—always a key for a half-court offense that consistently underwhelms,” Hughes wrote.
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Hughes would fairly note that “shooting would be a concern” with this proposed new core for the Grizzlies, as Siakam has only surpassed the 36 percent conversion rate on three-point attempts one time throughout his seven-year career, and guys like Marcus Smart and Morant sport lowly long-range shooting clips of sub 33 percent for their respective careers.
That said, he would follow this up by suggesting that both Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.’s success rate fromdistance (shot 40.8 and 35.5 percent last season, respectively) could “keep defenses from completely clogging the lane.”
Despite his shooting shortcomings, the $136 million forward is still a two-time All-NBA talent and an NBA Champion (won with the Raptors in 2019) who is coming off of a 2022-23 campaign where he posted stellar per-game averages of 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and half a block while shooting 48.0 percent from the floor.
Losing the likes of 2021 lottery-selected forward Ziaire Williams and sharpshooting two guard Luke Kennard, in particular, could prove to be a tough pill to swallow on the surface, but if adding a multi-faceted, two-way talent in the prime of his career is what GM Zach Kleiman covets, then there may not be a more cost-efficient and, frankly, ideal route than chasing Pascal Siakam with this proposed package.
