2. Where is this team going?
So all of these moves have the Grizzlies under the luxury tax and hopefully keeping their pick this upcoming year. Great, the owner saves money and Memphis could have its first-rounder.
But once the season closes in April, what’s next? Every player acquired in the trade, except Tyler Dorsey and Avery Bradley (we’ll get to that soon), is on the books for next season and they all seem to only make this team somewhat competitive.
The Grizzlies appear to be in Orlando Magic territory right now: not bad enough to bottom out, but not good enough for a playoff spot. So what exactly is the plan here?
The team opted not to move Conley just yet, again making a more lateral move. The Grizzlies believe he can be something of a mentor to the team’s young players.
One factor in the Grizzlies not trading Mike Conley: They value him as a mentor for Jaren Jackson Jr., a 19-year-old being groomed as the future face of the franchise. Conley was not eager to leave Memphis.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 7, 2019
Grizzlies fans love Conley, the last member of the Core Four, but $30 million is a high price tag for a mentor. Are they just going to keep him on the books for the rest of his contract as a mentor or will they try to build around him again?
The trades they’ve made don’t really provide a clear answer, but more than likely, they’ll try again as the draft approaches.
Utah, meanwhile, has not abandoned its pursuit of Mike Conley, league sources say, even knowing Conley's preference is to go to the East if he is dealt today. As discussed here yesterday, Memphis may decide its trade options for Conley broaden by waiting until closer to the draft
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 7, 2019
Unless Memphis believes that Delon Wright can be the point guard of the future, none of these trades make long-term sense. Valanciunas, Miles and Bradley can all play right now, but Miles is older than Conley, Bradley has been hampered by injuries his entire career and Valanciunas is not really a center that fits into the modern NBA. What is this team’s direction?
What hurts the most is the Grizzlies were only able to squeeze one draft pick from all trades: a 2024 second-rounder from Toronto. Look, Gasol is old and two years ago, Memphis may have been able to squeeze more draft picks from someone, so it was unwise to think he would net them a huge trade package at age 34.
Memphis did have an offer from Charlotte, but nothing ever came of fruition.
There are still gaps needing to be bridged in Marc Gasol discussions between Memphis and Charlotte, league sources tell ESPN. Talks continued this morning.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2019
Haggling over pick protections is what likely sealed the fate of this potential deal, and how Charlotte’s season ended would have determined whether Memphis received the pick. Still, a potential first this year outweighs a pick five years in the future.