The Memphis Grizzlies could potentially end up right back in the playoffs next season with Mike Conley coming back from injury. So maybe they don’t really need the No. 4 pick.
The Memphis Grizzlies have the No. 4 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. It’s been a few years since they’ve had a pick this high, but do they really need that pick? Part of the reason they were so awful last season was because their main guys suffered injuries early in the season.
Mike Conley was lost for the entire season after only playing 12 games. Marc Gasol made it very clear to the franchise that he was not a big fan of tanking, so it’s hard to believe he’ll let it slide next season.
With the return of Conley and Gasol’s unwillingness to be involved with constant losing, do the Grizzlies really need the No. 4 pick on Thursday. Evidently maybe not, because the Grizzlies are expecting interest in their pick to intensify on draft night.
If the Grizzlies really wanted their pick, it’s doubtful they’d even entertain any kind of trade, but this is shaping up to be a win-win scenario for Memphis. They’d rather stay in the lottery if they were to trade back, but they want to use this potential trade to get rid of Chandler Parsons.
Parsons has only played in 70 games in the past two seasons, and seeing as he’s owed nearly $50 million over the next two seasons, it’s a good time to make a deal. The Grizzlies could get Parsons’ contract off the books for a potential free agent in 2020, and bring in a high ceiling player in the draft. Sounds like a good night’s work.
There are several potential trade partners for the Grizzlies including the Knicks, Mavericks and Bulls. Trade talks aren’t expected to intensify until the Grizzlies are about to be on the clock on Thursday, so we’ll have wait and see what happens.