Grizzlies urged to trade for $39 million 'lights out' shooter

Through 11 games played in 2023-24, it's become evident that this Memphis Grizzlies team has more problems than those that can simply be fixed by the return of their currently suspended franchise centerpiece Ja Morant come mid-December.

With this in mind, assuming the franchise wishes to salvage their season before their lowly 2-9 record gets any more out of hand, perhaps it may be in the best interest of GM Zach Kleiman to step into action and look for ways to improve the ball club as the year progresses.

One method that has become a popular talking point amongst fans and media pundits alike over the past several weeks is for the front office to scour to trade market for outsourced talent upgrades.

From rising star talents to mere rotational players, the Grizzlies have found themselves linked to several individuals rumored to be available across the association

Recently, the folks at the Locked on Grizzlies podcast dipped their toes into the proverbial waters of hypothetical trade talks and discussed one veteran player, in particular, who is believed to be a talent worth pursuing.

Grizzlies urged to pursue Pistons veteran wing Bojan Bogdanovic

At about the 3:30 mark on the episode, co-host Damichael Cole delved into why pursuing a trade with the overtly tanking Detroit Pistons could be a realistic approach for the Grizzlies, and noted that targeting the likes of Bojan Bogdanovic could be a smart move for the team to make.

"[Bogdanovic] is a guy who throughout the entirety of his career has just been a lights-out shooter. He's been proven as a playmaker. You go to a couple of years ago when he played with the [Utah Jazz], averaged close to five boards per game, three assists a game. Even in a situation with the Detroit Pistons last year, he's a guy who's been proven as a shooter.""

- Damichael Cole on Bojan Bogdanovic

Cole would continue on to highlight the offensive excellence of Bogdanovic throughout his tenure in the association, noting that he averaged "21.6 points in 59 games" with the Pistons last season and, over the three years he served as a member of the Jazz from 2019 to 2022 sported averages of 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 39.7 percent shooting from deep.

For his career as a whole he's a 15.6 point per game scorer who has strong capabilities of buying a bucket from both inside and out thanks to his underrated handles, impressive 6-foot-7 frame, and long-range shooting clip of 39.4 percent.

Of course, considering his lucrative $22 million price tag over the next two seasons, the means of actually acquiring his services may be a bit tricky from a financial perspective.

However, Cole would propose the idea of offering up any one of Steven Adams ($12.6 million salary in 2023-24), Luke Kennard ($14.7 million salary), and Brandon Clarke ($12.5 million salary) along with a first-round pick all while utilizing the remaining $7 million of their TPE attained in the Dillon Brooks deal this summer.

Though by no means a star by any technical sense of the word, the Grizzlies beat writer would brand Bogdanovic as having been "a dynamic piece" for a few legitimate title-hopeful squads over the past several years and, with this coupled with his positional switchability and overall scoring expertise, could have the makings of being an excellent add to Taylor Jenkins' rotation.