- Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider link) rates the Celtics–Grizzlies trade featuring Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards and Juan Hernangomez, giving Boston a grade of B and Memphis a C. As we previously relayed, Boston is set to trade Dunn, Edwards and a 2026 second-round pick swap to Memphis in exchange for Hernangomez.
So far during the NBA’s 2021 offseason, a total of 32 trades have been made, including the not-yet-official deals between the Grizzlies/Celtics and Nets/Pistons that were reported earlier today. Of the league’s 30 teams, 29 have been involved in those deals — the Nuggets are the only team that hasn’t forayed into the trade market at least once since the regular season ended.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Offseason Trades]
After today’s trade agreement, Memphis is the only club that has completed six deals during the 2021 offseason. The Grizzlies acquired some extra draft assets from New Orleans as a reward for taking on Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams, moved up 10 spots in the draft to select Santi Aldama, sent Grayson Allen to Milwaukee, flipped Bledsoe to the Clippers for three players, then sent one of those three players (Patrick Beverley) to Minnesota in exchange for Juan Hernangomez and Jarrett Culver before flipping Hernangomez to Boston.
The Celtics, meanwhile, are one of just two other teams that has agreed to five trades so far this offseason. New president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been busy in his first summer on the job, striking the first deal of the offseason when he sent Kemba Walker to Oklahoma City. The team also acquired Josh Richardson from Dallas, traded away Tristan Thompson in a three-team deal, created a trade exception by signing-and-trading Evan Fournier, and agreed today to acquire Hernangomez.
The Pelicans are the other club that has made five trades so far this summer. Three of New Orleans’ trades came as a result of selling off picks in the July 29 draft, but the other two were significant moves — the Pels landed Valanciunas and Devonte’ Graham (via sign-and-trade) in a three-team deal with Memphis and Charlotte, and acquired Tomas Satoransky and Garrett Temple in the sign-and-trade sending Lonzo Ball to Chicago.
Here are a few more details on this offseason’s 32 trades:
- The Bulls, Clippers, Knicks, and Thunder have each made four trades, with the Hornets, Nets, Pacers, Spurs, and Jazz completing three.
- The Pistons, Cavaliers, Rockets, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers have made two trades apiece, while 11 teams have been involved in just one trade.
- Three of this offeason’s 32 trades have been three-teamers, while one (the Russell Westbrook/Spencer Dinwiddie deal) included five teams. The other 28 deals were just two-team agreements.
- Nearly half of this summer’s trades (15 of 32) included at least one 2021 draft pick — either the pick itself was dealt before the draft started, or the rights to a player were traded after he was selected on July 29.
- Eight of this offseason’s deals included a free agent being signed-and-traded. One of those eight – the Bulls/Pelicans deal – featured multiple players being signed-and-traded, with Ball heading to Chicago and Temple going to New Orleans.
- Eight first-round picks from future drafts (ie. 2022 and beyond) changed hands this offseason in six different deals. However, all of those picks were fairly heavily protected — all of them had at least top-10 protection.
- The Grizzlies plan to retire the jerseys for two key members of the team’s “Grit and Grind” era, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ll retire Zach Randolph‘s No. 50 on December 11 and Tony Allen‘s No. 9 on January 28.
- Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane is changing agents, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, who tweets that Bane has left Seth Cohen of SAC Sports Family and is in the process of hiring new representation. Bane is still two years away from being extension-eligible for the first time.
In an extensive new mailbag, Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian addressed the possibility of the Grizzlies considering trades for incumbent wings Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson, among other topics. Herrington wrote that, though an offseason Anderson trade appears unlikely, he could see the veteran forward’s expiring $9.9MM contract being moved during the year.
Because Brooks’s current three-year, $35MM contract extension with the club is fairly favorable, Herrington considers him less likely to be moved. Herrington also speculates on how the new-look Grizzlies can improve in a stacked Western Conference.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Pelicans owner Gayle Benson has donated $1MM towards Hurricane Ida relief, per an official press release from Benson and the Pelicans.
- The Pelicans received $2.5MM in cash considerations from the Clippers in New Orleans’ trade of No. 51 pick Brandon Boston out of Kentucky, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The Pelicans also received a heavily-protected 2022 second-round draft pick in the deal that appears unlikely to convey.
- Mavericks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr., newly re-signed on a four-year, $75MM deal, registered his optimism about the future performance of former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis, as Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com relays. So far during his time in Dallas, Porzingis has been a shadow of his former self as the result of a series of injuries. “I know he’s back in Latvia busting his tail right now to get back to where he was before the injury when we were with the Knicks,” Hardaway said. “I know how much he loves the game and how much he works. He’s going to do whatever he can to get back to that level. Injuries do play a part in the game.”
- Before getting involved in the Markkanen deal to acquire Larry Nance from Cleveland, the Trail Blazers had interest in Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks, sources tell Charania. One report suggested that Memphis was willing to listen on inquiries about Brooks.
- It doesn’t appear that Juan Hernangomez, who was acquired from the Timberwolves this week, will have a future with the Grizzlies. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweeted on Saturday that Hernangomez wasn’t asked to report to the team or take a physical, just like Rajon Rondo, who is now a free agent after reaching a buyout agreement with Memphis. Hernangomez has two years and $14.3MM left on his contract, although the final year doesn’t become guaranteed until June 20, 2022, notes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Rajon Rondo and the Grizzlies have agreed to a contract buyout, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Rondo was traded to Memphis in a three-way deal that sent Eric Bledsoe to the Clippers.
According to Charania (via Twitter), the 35-year-old two-time NBA champion could be on his way back to Los Angeles, though not to the Clippers. Charania reports that the Lakers are the frontrunner to sign Rondo. If the point guard does return to the Lakers, it would be his third season with the team — he won a title with the team in the 2020 bubble.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) confirms the Lakers’ interest. Rondo will clear waivers on Monday, and Wojnarowski says he will likely be signed into one of the Lakers’ final roster spots.
While the Lakers did an impressive job filling out their roster following the trade for Russell Westbrook, the backup point guard spot was one notable hole. Rondo was unable to replicate his success with the Lakers in this year’s playoffs run with the Clippers, but should provide a solid, competent play-maker off the bench, especially as young guards Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn are both more likely to see time at the shooting guard spot.
Bobby Marks of ESPN adds (via Twitter) that Rondo was never asked to report to the Grizzlies or take a physical, calling it as sure a sign as you can get that a subsequent move would be made. In a separate tweet, he says that the same is true for Spanish forward Juan Hernangomez.
Larry Nance Jr. wasn’t surprised that the Cavaliers agreed to trade him in the unofficial three-team deal that will bring Lauri Markkanen to Cleveland, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Nance was concerned about his role and playing time with the addition of lottery pick Evan Mobley. Cleveland’s front office had discussed the possibility of moving him to a contender where he might have a bigger role.
He’s happy that he’s going to the Trail Blazers, where he’ll play with Damian Lillard and close friend CJ McCollum. If the Blazers eventually go into rebuild mode, Nance can leave as an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2o23, Fedor adds.
We have more from the Central Division:
- In the same story, Fedor writes that the Cavs tried hard to trade for a wing shooter, dangling Nance, their 2022 first-round pick and, in some instances, a package of second-rounders. The Cavs couldn’t find the right deal and eventually turned their attention to a stretch four in Markkanen, who they hope can provide an offensive jolt.
- The Cavaliers are denying they’re engaged in buyout talks with Kevin Love, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A source told Pluto that progress was being made toward a buyout, which makes sense for both parties, the writer notes.
- The Bulls received $1.1MM from the Rockets in the Daniel Theis sign-and-trade, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets. The deal also generated a $5MM traded player exception.
- The Bucks received $1MM from the Grizzlies in the Grayson Allen deal, Pincus adds in another tweet. Memphis acquired Sam Merrill and two second-round picks.
The Grizzlies have not engaged in trade talks with the Cavaliers regarding Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. A report out of Cleveland suggested that the two forwards were available on the trade market for the right price. Memphis does have a major roster logjam at the moment with 18 players on guaranteed contracts, as noted in our latest roster count.
- Whether or not they’ve engaged in talks with the Cavs, the Grizzlies would be wise to explore the market on Brooks, according to Evan Sidery of Basketball News. Brooks’ value is at an all-time high after a playoff series in which he averaged 25.8 PPG, but he may not be the best No. 2 scoring option during Ja Morant‘s prime years. Brooks will be a free agent after the 2022/23 season and Memphis may not want to commit to him long-term.
In order to create room on their 20-man roster to accommodate a one-for-two trade with the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies have waived wing Sean McDermott, the team announced today in a press release.
McDermott, who went undrafted out of Butler in 2020, quickly caught on with the Grizzlies, signing a two-way deal with the team last November. He appeared in 18 NBA games during his rookie season, averaging 2.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in limited action (8.8 MPG).
Because McDermott’s two-way contract covered two seasons, he had remained under team control to start the 2021/22 league year, but it looks like he’s no longer in the team’s plans for the time being.
Memphis now has an open two-way contract slot, with Killian Tillie occupying the other one. Yves Pons, who is on an Exhibit 10 contract, looks like a candidate to claim the second two-way deal before the regular season, notes Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).
Besides Tillie and Pons, the Grizzlies’ other 18 players are on guaranteed contracts. That includes Juan Hernangomez and Jarrett Culver, who were acquired from Minnesota in exchange for Patrick Beverley in the trade that was completed today, and Rajon Rondo, whom Herrington doesn’t expect to still be on the team when the season begins (Twitter link).