4 Grizzlies who could be dangled in trades this offseason

Marcus Smart

Last offseason, the Memphis Grizzlies decided to strike on a win-now type of blockbuster by trading for 2022 Defensive Player of the Year and lead guard for the contending Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart

Initial reactions among fans and media pundits were quite positive, with main talking points leaning into the replacing Dillon Brooks' intensity and adding veteran leadership naratives.

Of course, fast forward nearly a year later and we find that all the hype never wound up surmounting to all that much, as Smart spent the majority of the year sidelined due to injuries and, even when he did find himself on the hardwood he didn't prove to be all that effective as he finished with a lowly box plus-minus of -2.4, an offensive rating of just 100, and was a net zero in regard to value over replacement, per Basketball Reference.

Chalk it up to injuries or, in many people's opinion, the simple inability to get comfortable in a new environment with constantly changing rotations due to the team's lacking health, after the year he just had, and with two years, $41.7 million remaining on his deal, many are beginning to wonder whether the Grizzlies made a mistake in dealing for Smart in the first place.

Should Memphis also feel this way, perhaps parting ways with him now via the trade route while the interest in his upside as an impactful two-way talent is still very much high among point guard-needy playoff hopefuls (Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka has a positive history with him, for instance) could be a move well worth considering.

However, there is seemingly still plenty of intrigue from the franchise to finally see what Smart could bring to a fully healthy Grizzlies core next season, so the likelihood of the veteran being traded is rather low.

Still, this may not be enough to stop the Grizzlies from seeing what, exactly, his value could be on the trade market, so fans should keep a close eye on the situation as we head into the summer.