The Memphis Grizzlies traded Andre Igoudala to the Miami Heat just prior to the trade deadline Thursday as part of a three-team deal including the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Going into the trade deadline the Memphis Grizzlies were looking to move Andre Iguodala for future assets or young pieces to complement their core. Moreover, the Grizzlies also sought to trade the expiring contracts of Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill to teams in need of cap relief for this summer’s free agency.
However, the markets for both of these plans ended up being rather tepid, as teams remain uninspired by this year’s free agent class and Igoudala expressed interest in playing for only a few select organizations.
It is with those realities that the three-team trade between the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves was born, originally reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.
Miami has agreed to trade Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters and James Johnson to Memphis for Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder, league sources tell ESPN. No picks in the deal.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
Minnesota has joined the Miami-Memphis deal -- and will trade Gorgui Dieng for James Johnson, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020
So, what did the Memphis Grizzlies accomplish and what did they concede with the trade? By sending out the expiring contracts of Igoudala, Crowder and Hill and taking on the contacts of Winslow, Dion Waiters, and Gorgui Dieng which have a cap hit of about 43 million next year, the Grizzlies decided to punt on this summer’s free agency.
The idea here is that this gives Memphis a look at Winslow a young player who has struggled with injuries, as well as three expiring contracts to work with at the next trade deadline, where teams will be tripping over themselves to get off of money for the summer of 2021 when free agents like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo may be available. In short expiring contracts will be worth more in a year than they are today.
As for on-court ramifications, it should be noted that while it is unlikely that Waiters sees any playing time for the Grizzlies this season, Gorgui Dieng may very well carve himself into the rotation at center, as he offers a drastically different skill set than Jonas Valanciunas.
If anything, Grizzlies fans should understand that this trade was made with patience and serious thought for the future beyond the summer of 2020, and that moves like this means the front office has equity with ownership, a sign of a good organization.