A few days ago, the Memphis Grizzlies finalized a three-team trade with the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans which landed talented swingman Jeff Green in Memphis and shuffled around a few draft picks and complementary players.
Memphis sent Tayshaun Prince and a first-rounder to Boston and Quincy Pondexter to New Orleans, receiving Russ Smith (who was a 2014 second-rounder), and trade exception. The Pelicans then traded Austin Rivers to Boston, which is expected to ship him off to his dad’s team soon, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Basically, to get someone who has been averaging 16.9 points and 17.6 points respectively the past two seasons, the Grizzlies traded away a 34-year-old Prince whose best days are behind him, a future protected pick and Pondexter, who isn’t bad but has seen his efficiency (shooting under 36 percent from the field this season) plummet in recent season. That’s not a ton of value lost.
Also, it’s not like the Grizzlies have been struggling this year at all, rather it’s the opposite. In coach Dave Joerger’s second year at the helm of the team, Memphis has been one of the NBA’s best teams, and currently sits at 27-11 with the third-best record in the juggernaut Western Conference. Adding someone of Green’s caliber to that talented mix should only make the Grizzlies a much more formidable opponent.
The Memphis core of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph has been there for awhile but has never been able to break through to win the West and the front office has made small deals over the past few seasons looking for the right guy to push them over the hump. Now, it appears as if the Grizzlies have finally found that move for the right guy, Green, who is only their fourth-best scoring option, which is pretty crazy.
Already, they’ve won their first game with Green–an easy 103-92 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday–and their new addition scored 10 points off the bench, even though he didn’t shoot well from the field. That can be expected in a player’s first game with his new team.
Even with the underwhelming debut, it’s clear that Green is a wonderful fit for Memphis and greatly increases the depth Joerger has in his back pocket when his team needs some instant points. Down the stretch in the regular season, and definitely during the postseason, every team goes through offensive slumps and the best ones are those who can minimize them.
Green’s scoring ability should be a real boon for Memphis in limiting those slumps and helping the Grizzlies in the Western Conference dogfight for seeding. And all for the cost of a protected pick and two non-essential role players. Good job, Chris Wallace (general manager), good job.
