As the Grizzlies’ post-all-star break slump continues, the team's championship aspirations are falling flat. Ja Morant’s injury and availability issues linger, yet the team remains committed to him as he is in his second year of a five-year, nearly 200-million-dollar deal.
Memphis’ dud trade deadline, where the team moved on from a proven winner in Marcus Smart and Jake Laravia, shows us that Memphis’ front office is committed to the long game. For a front office like this one, which is among the best in the league at drafting and developing underscouted talent, the Grizzlies’ post-2025 mindset seems set.
The Grizzlies have a 6-9 record since February’s All-Star break, dropping them to fifth place in the West. Yet the team seems to have lost sight of what the goal of competition is: win championships. Here’s why:
1. Not valuing leadership or playoff pedigree.
Every team in the past decade to win an NBA championship has had a wing defender that could slow down the opposing team's best ball handler or “big guard” (A LeBron stopper). Memphis traded away its most viable LeBron stopper in former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart.
Additionally, Smart brought much-needed veteran leadership to a team with no championship pedigree. Sure, Smart had taken his bumps along the way, but this current iteration of the Grizzlies is not a championship contender without an experienced wing defender.
2. Overvaluing in house talent.
It has sometimes felt like the Grizzlies have had too much depth. Sure, Memphis is a deep team, but the veil of too many playable pieces has been lifted. That myth directly correlates with the bigger problem: the front office overvalues in-house talent.
This train of thought plagues most small-market professional sports teams because of how difficult it is for these clubs to attract star power. But at the end of the day, the Grizzlies need to be honest with themselves and not sit on their hands when consolidating talent.
The Grizzlies seem to value GG Jackson, Vince Williams, and Santi Aldama much more than the rest of the league, so the team did not complete an impactful deal by the trade deadline. Soon enough, all of the Grizzlies' young talent will be due for extensions, which means that the window to hold onto a team this deep is closing fast.
To remedy this, the team should consolidate for an elite “3-and-D” perimeter player to pair with the average-at-best defensive backcourt of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. Yet players like that are in high demand, meaning the team would have to overpay for a desirable wing talent.
Making the playoffs isn’t enough anymore, and the Grizzlies have lost sight of championship aspirations. Overpaying is okay as long as the front office's sights are set on winning an NBA title.