What to do with Danny Green
Is he trade bait? Or something more...
Tonight, a veteran NBA player with a wealth of championship experience makes his Memphis Grizzlies debut as Danny Green returns to the floor roughly 8 months after a terrible knee injury. In his 14th season, Green could be a major addition to a rotation that desperately needs three point spacing and defensive acumen off the bench - two skills that “DG” has displayed throughout his NBA career.
But also tonight, a potential trade chip entering next week’s trade deadline gets to show not just Memphis, but the entire league, if he still is capable of being a player. Or at least can physically play 12-14 minutes a game and shoot threes in the corner. Because while an expiring contract and some draft capital is enticing, Green’s physical ability to compete would be an added bonus in any deal.
It is in both of these ways that Danny Green’s Grizzlies debut matters so much. Because theoretically speaking, the trade deadline acquisition for Memphis could be Danny Green. A career (almost) 40% three point shooter, Green being a threat from beyond the arc would make spacing easier for the Tyus Jones/Brandon Clarke pairing in pick and roll sets, and would also (fingers crossed) allow for Ziaire Williams to shoot fewer threes and be more aggressive getting to the rim or his favorite spots in the midrange. He was shooting 40.7% from beyond the arc in last season’s playoffs as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers before his injury while logging over 26 minutes a game.
That player holds tremendous value for the Grizzlies - even if he is limited defensively coming off such a serious knee surgery. But at the age of 35, returning from a torn ACL and LCL, the question remains…is that player still there?
The Memphis Grizzlies continue to walk the line of rebuilding and contending. Acquiring Green was more about the 1st round pick Memphis was given (which became David Roddy - a talented player, but still a rookie) than it was Green, who was never in the plans to play the first half of the 2022-2023 season. And while it all may work out in the end, it is hard to ignore the reality of De’Anthony Melton having a near-career year for the 76ers as the Memphis bench struggles.
Melton perhaps could have impeded future Grizzlies financial dealings, however - Ja Morant’s max contract kicks in next season, Desmond Bane will get paid the season after that, and money will get tighter in the years to come. And his postseason struggles (a legitimate concern) coupled with the business aspect of the NBA made a Melton move easier to understand.
But it would look like a smart deal for both sides in the here and now - not just for the Grizzlies in the future and the Sixers now - if Green were able to return and be close to his former self sooner rather than later.
Green was doing things like this just 9 months ago…
Between that Jones/Clarke dynamic mentioned above and opportunities for Danny to play alongside Ja Morant, he will get open looks. And he is willing to actually shoot the basketball - which would be a wonderful development for Memphis. Per 100 possessions last season Green took 10 threes. At that rate, he would be 2nd on the Grizzlies roster behind only Desmond Bane.
Yes. That. All of that. Please.
Green as a reserve (he started a third of his games with Philly last regular season, and 12 for the Sixers in the playoffs) would also negate some potential concerns about his lateral movement and how his knee will hold up defensively. While Green may not be a creator off the dribble or too active on cuts offensively - thus easing the stress on his…older (hard to say about a guy my age) body - the other end of the floor is much more difficult to hide players on.
But Ziaire Williams could take the tougher assignment, or Dillon Brooks whenever Green was on the floor with him. And in maximum spacing situations (Ja Morant/Desmond Bane/Danny Green/Brandon Clarke/Jaren Jackson Jr.), the offensive value of what a Clarke/Morant pick and roll with Bane/Jackson Jr./Green on the perimeter would likely negate any issues defensively.
Want to collapse on Morant? Three willing and able shooters are ready to make you pay. That is possible starting very soon, as Bane returns from his own injury hopefully within the next couple of games.
And it is possible with no trade necessary.
But if Memphis decided they do want to make a move - the most likely player departing the Grizzlies roster in theory would be Green. His experience is valuable, and he has displayed a skill set that can benefit Memphis as an 8th or 9th man in the rotation. But Green’s expiring $10 million mark, plus draft capital and additional filler (Xavier Tillman Sr., perhaps) could snag you a perceived “upgrade” at the deadline.
Alex Caruso, who has been written about in this space before, is a great example. An elite defender that is capable of being a secondary facilitator and good three point shooter (admittedly in smaller usage), Caruso would be an upgrade over what Green physically can be even in great health. Caruso is younger, on a team-friendly contract through the next two seasons, and fits the Grizzlies bench well without disrupting chemistry (like a theoretical O.G. Anunoby trade with the Raptors certainly would).
Caruso for Green and the Grizzlies 2023 1st round pick. Do the Bulls say no? Maybe, maybe not.
Should Memphis say no? Is there another way to get there?
Yes…there is.
The Grizzlies have a plethora of 2nd round picks - and not nearly enough roster space to make them all. In previous transactions, these picks would be utilized by the Memphis front office to move up in drafts. But that is rebuilding work - adding young talent that needs to be developed work. Talent like Jake LaRavia, who despite being the higher pick in the 2022 NBA Draft compared to David Roddy seems less ready to contribute.
Sending him - a talented shooter who needs space to grow - alongside a steady (but limited) hand like Konchar to Chicago, in addition to numerous 2nd round picks in the next three NBA Drafts - would be attractive to a Bulls team that would like to try to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference (Konchar helps that) while also saving some money and looking to the future. And if Chicago wants the previously mentioned 2023 1st instead of all those 2nds? That isn’t a deal breaker - we’re just trying to keep options open for Memphis with their 1st rounders and any future, larger transactions.
Bringing Caruso to Memphis without losing Green makes a Tyus Jones/Alex Caruso/Danny Green/Ziaire Williams/Brandon Clarke/Santi Aldama core reserve unit possible. And a lot can be done within those 6 players.
If Ziaire isn’t ready to go in the postseason? Danny Green, at least in terms of experience, will be. And in the playoffs, a Morant/Bane/Brooks/Jackson Jr./Adams/Jones/Caruso/Green/Clarke nine-man rotation checks an awful lot of boxes. Young players aren’t being depended on for key minutes in a potential Western Conference Finals, while still being in the mix if they actually are able to compete at that level.
Of course, this assumes Green can still play at that level himself. That question begins to be answered tonight. But with days remaining until the NBA Trade Deadline, a call will have to be made soon. At some point, the Memphis Grizzlies front office will have to move in to contender-level in-season negotiations, exchanging future assets for improvements in the present. Is that time now?
Danny Green will have a say in that, one way or another.