2-time All-Star, NBA Champion might have been a Grizzlies trade target
By Mark Nilon
This summer, the Memphis Grizzlies made some significant shakeups to their talent pool. Though some key contributors from years past such as Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones were seen departing, GM Zach Kleiman and company seemed to make up for their losses with their several additions, most notably the arrival of Marcus Smart.
Acquired from the Boston Celtics via multi-team deal, the veteran is now being heralded as an ideal fit for Taylor Jenkins’ heart-and-hustle squad, and his defensive tenacity coupled with years of experience serving as a contending club’s primary ball handler suggests he can be a tremendous replacement option for Ja Morant while he serves out his 25-game suspension.
However, even with the bevy of positives that come with his addition, during a recent episode of the Locked On Grizzlies podcast, co-host Damichael Cole brought up the hypothetical scenario where, had the team held off from making the Smart deal back in July, they could have theoretically been in the running for recently dealt and presumably available veteran, Jrue Holiday.
Grizzlies may have pursued Jrue Holiday had they ‘waited a little bit longer’
Packaged together in an outbound deal that saw the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately win the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, Holiday, along with Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, and a slew of first-round picks, was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers who, in all likelihood, are heading toward a full-out rebuild following their decision to move on from their franchise cornerstone.
With this, the belief is that GM Joe Cronin could now look to lean more heavily into a reset mentality by attempting to swap a win-now talent such as the 33-year-old for more future-oriented assets, which has numerous organizations across the association already rumored as being interested in acquiring his services.
During the September 28 episode of the L.O.G pod, Cole suggested that had Memphis not already struck a trade for Smart, the Grizzlies could have potentially worked their way into the recent Lillard exchange as a fourth team to simply land the likes of Holiday outright.
"“Someone had told me, and basically said: ‘[If only] the Grizzlies had waited just a little bit longer,'” Cole said. “Jrue Holiday could give you exactly what Marcus Smart gets you and then some. Only if the Grizzlies would have waited a little bit longer [they] could have potentially thrown their name in there as the fourth team and boom! It could have happened.”"
Fellow host Joe Mullinax would respond to Cole’s point by noting that while it’s evident Holiday is objectively the better player, the response and sadness exuded from Boston following Smart’s departure, along with the type of intangibles he provides this current Grizzlies team, still has him overwhelmingly excited for his new residency in the 38103.
"“Maybe it’s because I’ve fallen so hard in love with Marcus Smart and I just remember the Boston Celtics fans…it just stands out in my mind, Damichael, they literally got two first round picks and arguably the best player in the trade in Kristaps Porzingis, I don’t even know if there is that much of an argument — Porzingis when healthy is better than Marcus Smart and Tyus Jones. So the Celtics, in terms of value, won that trade and they were balling about losing this dude Marcus Smart. I think he’s exactly what Memphis needs,” Mullinax wrote.“Yea Jrue Holiday is basically a better version of that, I’m not disputing that, but I’m not going to have buyer’s remorse.”"
A two-time All-Star and an NBA Champion coming off a tremendous 2022-23 campaign where he dropped 19.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per night on 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 38.4 percent shooting from deep, there’s no question that having Holiday would have been an absolute luxury for this title-hopeful Memphis team.
Considering the number of clubs currently rumored to be inquiring about his availability, it goes without saying that this sentiment is essentially universal.
That being said, Smart’s presence could easily prove to be more than enough for the Grizzlies to inch themselves closer to their ultimate goal of vying for the Larry O’Brien trophy, and, as Mullinax stated and Cole agreed to, he came at a far lower cost than what many predict Holiday’s price tag will be.
For Grizzlies fans, there should be zero buyer’s remorse.
Smart is that dude!
