Grizzlies must consider trading Luke Kennard for polarizing 7-foot rim protector

Kicking off the summer festivities was Thursday's splashy trade between the OKC Thunder and Chicago Bulls that saw a swap of Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso. Now, following such a transaction, many are wondering what might be the next shoe to drop in the offseason festivities.

We at Beale Street Bears are proposing that the Memphis Grizzlies may want to be the next to act.

During the early afternoon on Friday, it was reported by Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer that his sources have informed him "the Knicks have contacted opposing teams about moving Mitchell Robinson."

Considering they could use for an added boost at their primary pivot position, this rumbling could actually prove to be of serious interest to the Grizzlies.

Grizzlies should consider inquiring about Knicks big, Mitchell Robinson

An uber-athletic big man who can defend the rim, dominate on the glass and thrive out on the fast break, Robinson has been a name frequently found linked as a possible trade target for Memphis, and it's easy to see why.

Throughout his six-year professional career, the 7-footer has established himself as one of the game's premier shot swatters and board gobblers, boasting per 100 averages of 3.8 blocks and 16.0 rebounds, respectively.

Along with these attributes, he's also placed himself among the elite offensive rebounders in the league, right alongside beloved former pivot Steven Adams, as he sports an offensive rebounding percentage of 18.1 over the last three seasons.

Of course, despite all these pluses, when it comes to Robinson there's always the risk of injuries, as he's yet to surpass 66 games played in a season throughout his NBA tenure and is coming off a campaign where he saw just 31 contests played as a result of a nagging ankle ailment.

However, even with this daunting reality, his skill set and on-court excellence may be worth the center-hungry Grizzlies to take a somewhat low-risk gamble on, and perhaps one of the more ideal scenarios in such a situation would be for them to swap out Luke Kennard in exchange for his services.

With his $14.7 million team option for 2024-25, the Grizzlies could opt into the final year of Kennard's contract and then swap it out to the Knicks in exchange for Robinson's upcoming salary of $14.3 million.

While some believe that it may be ideal for the team to perhaps opt out of his final year under contract and then re-sign him in free agency to a more team-friendly deal, as his long-range shooting skills have proven to be of great value to the team in the past (has shot 48.3 percent from deep since landing in Memphis) and, with the fact that they are already coming off a 2023-24 campaign where they finished second-worst in three-point shooting, they may be severely needed, there are certainly other ways for them to find replacement options for his specific talents.

Perhaps the most exciting course of action could be for Zach Kleiman and company to elect to snatch up Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht with the ninth overall selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, as many view him as one of the more trusty and developed shooters in his respective class and, in turn, a "perfect" fit for the franchise.

Of course, they could also try to utilize their vet minimums and MLEs on the open market as well to try and entice trusted veterans like Cedi Osman, Justin Holiday, or Reggie Bullock to join on and boost their long-range offensive game.

Either way, with the recent news that the Knicks are officially shopping the 26-year-old Robinson, the Grizzlies must strongly consider buying low on his upside, and a way for them to do that may just by pulling off a straight swap of him and Kennard.