1. Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges was a player the Memphis Grizzlies had serious interest in acquiring at last year’s trade deadline, with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype going on record to note that the franchise offered as many as four future first-round picks to the Phoenix Suns for his services.
Of course, such efforts proved to be for naught as he was ultimately shipped out to Brooklyn as the main outbound attraction in the Kevin Durant blockbuster.
That said, Buckley suggested in his piece that there’s a chance the retooling Nets “could learn they don’t have enough to compete” with the wing in his prime and, thus, could be open to moving him for the right price.
Perhaps something similar to what Kleiman and company reportedly offered to the Suns could be considered said price, and it could easily wind up being well worth it for the Grizz.
The 10 overall pick back in the 2018 NBA Draft, throughout his five-year career Bridges has quickly established himself as one of the most promising young talents on both ends of the floor and is coming off an impressive 2022-23 season where he posted sensational averages of 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and just shy of a block on 46.8 percent shooting from the field and 38.2 percent shooting from deep.
Adding such a talent to a core already consisting of Morant, Jackson, and Bane would automatically thrust the Grizzlies into the legitimate title contender conversation, and his age (27) combined with his long-term $90.9 million deal would keep them in this stage for the many years to come.
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