The Friday Three: Memphis Grizzlies NBA Trade Deadline Review
The good, the disappointing, the hope.
The 2023 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone. Deals were made, as were legitimate contenders. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving departed Brooklyn for Phoenix and Dallas respectively, and the Toronto Raptors were the biggest teases of the proceedings. The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers got more depth. The Minnesota Timberwolves got more…professional.
And the Memphis Grizzlies got more shooting - sorely needed shooting.
It wasn’t the home run, “all-in” deal that some Grizzlies supporters were hoping for. The O.G. Anunoby sweepstakes never materialized. The brief flirtation with the idea that Mikal Bridges - literally the PERFECT fit long-term alongside Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane - could be had was fun, but proved fleeting. No, the best marriage of price tag and contribution was sending out Danny Green and three future 3rd round picks for Luke Kennard as part of a 3-team deal involving the L.A. Clippers and Houston Rockets. Green is now in Houston (for the time being - he seems to be a prime buy-out candidate).
The Memphis Grizzlies remained true to their “no acceleration of the timeline” principles, while still finding a way to make the roster better for a potential playoff push. Will it be enough of an upgrade to kickstart a stalling Grizzlies half-court offense? Time will tell. But on paper, Memphis got better at the deadline.
Some takeaways from the proceedings for the Grizzlies.
Luke Kennard will indeed help Memphis
In the here and now, the 8th best player on the Memphis Grizzlies is no longer Ziaire Williams (it maybe never was). It’s not John Konchar, or the now departed Danny Green. Perhaps it is Santi Aldama - more data needs to be gathered on that potential development. But a player that for sure is a wing, Luke Kennard, probably gets to lay claim to that title as of this moment for Memphis.
Kennard bring elite three point shooting to the Grizzlies - a legitimate case can be made that Kennard is the best three point shooter in the entire NBA. Over the last 3,800 minutes Luke, or “Nuke” as he was lovingly called in Los Angeles, has shot 45% from beyond the arc. That’s remarkable consistency displayed across three NBA seasons.
On this Memphis team, only Desmond Bane can lay claim to that level of productivity outside the three point line. And the Grizzlies overall are shooting 34.4% from range. That’s an immediate impact from Kennard that will help Memphis’ especially in their half-court offense.
He’s not just a shooter
While Kennard’s three-point shooting will undoubtedly help (did I mention he shoots 52% on corner threes, which will be wide-open in presumed eventual Ja Morant/Kennard/Dillon Brooks/Santi Aldama/Steven Adams lineups?) he’s capable of contributing in other areas. He surprisingly is a better rebounder, at least statistically, than Dillon Brooks (10.9% defensive rebounding mark compared to 8.1% for Dillon, per Cleaning the Glass). He also is historically a solid creator for others - during his time with the Pistons, he consistently ranked in the top third in the NBA in assist percentage for wings.
This has fallen off, especially this season. But this set of highlights made me legitimately excited for Kennard/Morant lineups in place of Morant/Tyus Jones ones.
That of course was a few years ago. But still…perhaps the Clippers were guilty of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole at times. Memphis does that to an extent themselves (cough LET ZIAIRE WILLIAMS SHOOT MORE IN THE MIDRANGE, YOU COWARDS cough) but watching Kennard film reminds me of Desmond Bane’s game…obviously not the same level, but he has more capabilities on the ball than recent results suggest.
And while he is…limited…defensively, within half-court team sets he will be better than expected in that area as well. Opposing teams somewhat surprisingly shoot 7.3% worse when Kennard is on the floor this season - and that is with Luke logging a majority of his time with reserves, not starters. He is above average at defending without fouling, and below average in steal percentage.
Kennard is elite as a sharpshooter, and that’s where he helps Memphis most. But depending on how quickly he acclimates to the Grizzlies schemes, he should contribute beyond that as well.
The line continues to be walked
Kennard’s arrival in Memphis at the “expense” of three 2nd round picks and Danny Green is a pretty savvy move by the Grizzlies front office. No, Mikal Bridges and O.G. Anunoby are not in Memphis. Yes, they’d both raise the Memphis floor and ceiling for this season and beyond more than “Nuke” does. But in reality, those trades - if the Grizzlies really want to make them - could still be had this Summer.
The future flexibility of Memphis - financially, and in terms of draft capital, remains.
The Phoenix Suns are the prohibitive favorites to win the Western Conference now. Kevin Durant is that type of player, and he alongside Devin Booker/Chris Paul/Deandre Ayton is going to create all sorts of havoc. The Denver Nuggets aren’t just going to go away. And lingering in the distance are the improved L.A. teams, as well as the Golden State Warriors.
There are plenty of obstacles in the path of the best young team in the NBA. But instead of establishing a finite championship window, they continued to maintain their options while slightly improving their odds now. A Ja Morant/Desmond Bane/Dillon Brooks/Jaren Jackson Jr./Steven Adams/Tyus Jones/Luke Kennard/Santi Aldama/Brandon Clarke 9-man playoff rotation competes with just about anybody in the NBA. The defensive versatility. The offensive spacing that is now improved with the presence of Kennard. There are reasons for optimism, even as the Western Conference again ascends to “nightmare” status.
The Grizzlies got better at the deadline…maybe not as much as hoped by some. But by combining enough of an acquisition to legitimately solve an issue or two with keeping future options open, Memphis stayed true to their culture, their philosophy, and positioned themselves to compete.
In a 7 game series, Phoenix in 6. But beyond that? I like the Grizzlies chances to at least get to a 7th game against all, and winning a final game in a series against most. Considering the market and the realities of the Memphis roster, that’s enough for me.
My biggest hope from the trade is that the bench unit’s sluggishness at the beginning of 4th quarters will improve now. If Bane or Kennard (one of them) is on the floor at all times, the shooting threat will always be there.