Things were starting to turn around for the Memphis Grizzlies. They had won three of their last four games, they were starting to look like the team that had won 50 games in back-to-back seasons.
It was a long shot, but with a 13-23 record, they had visions of playoffs dancing in their heads.
Then came the devastating news that Ja Morant would have shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
So what now? It seems like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Do they reload and regroup?
What players can the Memphis Grizzlies trade?
Topping the list is Marcus Smart, who the Grizzlies picked up from Boston in the offseason. Smart makes $18.3 million and has two more years left on his contract.
Smart was brought in to help smooth the transition of no Morant during the suspension to his return 25 games in. He’s more of a defensive specialist than a scorer and could be a good addition to a contender who needs a little help with stopping opposing teams’ top scorers.
His salary shouldn’t scare off suiters and Milwaukee could be one of the teams interested, as is Boston, the very team that sent him to Memphis in the first place.
Luke Kennard has a salary of $14.8 million, and there is a club option for him next season.
Kennard has a career 43.5 3-point shooting percentage and if healthy, could provide scoring assistance to a contender down the stretch. He has battled injuries this season, missing more than 20 games, and has averaged 8.2 points on 39.4 percent 3-point shooting.
Players who need to take advantage
What plans the Grizzlies might have had for a playoff run were completely altered on the Morant news. So the focus should be on building. Making the two aforementioned trades for young players or draft picks would be part of that building.
The rest of the regular season should be on evaluating the young talent to see who might be worth keeping when Morant and Adams, who has missed this season because of knee surgery, comes back.
Players who need to showcase while Morant is out
- G.G. Jackson: The Grizzlies took him with the 45th pick in the last draft out of South Carolina. He is veraging 20.2 points, 7.2 rebounds with the Memphis Hustle of the G League.
- Jake LaRavia: LaRavia was the 19th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies got him, along with a future second-round pick, in exchange for the 22nd and 29th picks in the draft. He is averaging 22.5 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Hustle.
- Vince Williams, Jr.: Williams was selected with the 47th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He is averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists for the Hustle.