Are The Memphis Grizzlies A Real Threat To Trade For Kevin Durant?
In just three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant has taken his franchise to new heights and the excitement level surrounding this team truly has never been higher.
Coming off a 2021-22 season in which they won 56 games, tying their franchise record for wins in a single season, the Grizzlies have their sights set on really proving that they can be a championship contender in the Western Conference during the 2022-23 season.
Given their depth and youth, Memphis is going to be a problem in this league for a long time to come, but compared to the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and a couple of other teams, it seems like the Grizzlies are still missing something.
Ja Morant is fantastic and is only going to get better, Jaren Jackson Jr. has proven to be a very solid secondary star and Desmond Bane has emerged as the team’s No. 2 scoring option next to Morant, but adding another All-Star to this team could immediately springboard Memphis into the No. 1 spot not just in the Western Conference, but the NBA as a whole.
There just so happens to be an All-Star available on the trade block right now and he is no ordinary All-Star… he is Kevin Durant.
One of the best pure scoring talents in league history and still a true MVP candidate at 33-years-old and coming off an Achilles injury in 2019, Durant is exactly the kind of primary asset this Grizzlies team needs.
Alongside Morant, there are no limits to what this team could achieve and 2021-22 NBA Executive of the Year Zach Kleiman is always looking for new ways to make his Memphis Grizzlies team the best it can be.
Is it possible that out of all the teams in the league, the Grizzlies could be the ones to end up with Kevin Durant?
Maybe it is still a long-shot to believe that Durant will end up in Memphis, but it is surely a possibility and more buzz surrounding the Grizzlies has been created due to The Athletic’s Shams Charania’s latest report.
According to Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies are a new team to have shown interest in Durant and they have a handful of assets available that could peak the Brooklyn Nets’ interest. League sources have also confirmed to Fastbreak that the Grizzlies are a “sneaky” team to watch on the trade market ahead of the start of the regular season.
Not only do they have five first-round picks that are readily available, but Memphis also has players such as Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, Brandon Clarke, David Roddy and Kennedy Chandler, all of which could draw a level of interest in trade talks.
It is also worth mentioning that veterans Steven Adams and Danny Green, who is currently out due to ACL recovery, could be included in potential trades in order to make the financial aspects of a deal work.
Neither Jackson Jr. nor Bane seem to be available, according to Charania, but the Grizzlies would not just be trading either of them away for an ordinary player. Kevin Durant is a franchise-altering, potentially championship delivering type of talent for a team like Memphis, which is why all options must be weighed here and Kleiman knows what he is doing in the front-office.
Always looking to be aggressive and put the Grizzlies in the championship conversation, going out and trading for Durant is not out of the picture for Kleiman, even if it means sacrificing Jackson Jr. or Bane.
The most obvious, hypothetical trade that sticks out here between the Nets and Grizzlies would involved Jaren Jackson Jr., Ziaire Williams, Danny Green and at least four first-round picks going to Brooklyn.
Now, there is no telling if general manager Sean Marks and the Nets would even accept this offer, but from Memphis’ point of view, they would be upgrading their chances of competing for a championship at the expense of future, unproven talent.
Durant is an upgrade compared to both Jackson Jr. and Williams at either forward position, but it is likely that the Nets would want another player like Brandon Clarke or Dillon Brooks attached to this offer, making it a lot less appealing for Memphis.
The fact of the matter is that compared to the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, two other teams that are said to be pursuing Kevin Durant, the Memphis Grizzlies have better, more appealing assets to offer up, especially given all the players they have on their roster that are recent first-round draft picks.
Between them and the Boston Celtics, the Grizzlies are definitely a team to keep an eye on between now and the trade deadline during the 2022-23 season in terms of making a big move.
