<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/grizzlies-news-marcus-smart-trade-rumors-scotty-pippen-jr-backup-pg');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart trade rumors suggest Scotty Pippen Jr. seizing backup PG role');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Grizzlies-Marcus-Smart-trade-rumors-suggest-Scotty-Pippen-Jr.-seizing-backup-PG-role.jpg"></figure><h1>Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart trade rumors suggest Scotty Pippen Jr. seizing backup PG role</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-05T12:50:47-07:00">October 5th, 12:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-05T12:52:38-07:00">October 5th, 12:52pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-derrick-rose-waived-before-training-camp">Memphis Grizzlies releasing Derrick Rose</a> led to a shocking retirement going by everyone’s reactions at Media Day. Players, staff, and executives who grew up as fans learned of the news on social media without warning. The front office and coaches had already flipped to filling those backup point guard shoes, though, mainly with some in-house talent. Marcus Smart was asked about moving over to the spot during Grizzlies Media Day while Scotty Pippen Jr. was fielding questions about winning the job outright.</p><p>Well, there are plenty of storylines coming out of Grizzlies training camp. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-zach-edey-promises-surprises-critics-who-didnt-watch-purdue">Grizzlies’ gamble on Zach Edey’s footwork</a> has been front and center. Some <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-knicks-interested-in-marcus-smart-trade">new Marcus Smart trade rumors</a> suggest Pippen Jr. is seizing the backup point guard role.</p><p>Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman suggested that has always <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daNazOG_YWc" rel="noopener">been part of the plan</a> during Media Day.</p><p>“We’ll see where things shake out, in terms of who’s in what role as we kick the season off,” explained Kleiman. “But Scotty is someone who we have real confidence in playing a role.”</p><p>Pippen Jr. is trying to pick brains but also <a href="https://x.com/DoingItDodson/status/1842638246548746687" rel="noopener">blaze his own path</a> as a pro, as told to ClutchPoints.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Scotty Pippen Jr. impressive during Grizzlies training camp. </p><p>Marcus Smart back in the trade rumors. </p><p>Asked Pippen Jr. about filling Derrick Rose’s shoes this season.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Grizzlies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Grizzlies</a> <a href="https://t.co/vFsrGQmEyX">pic.twitter.com/vFsrGQmEyX</a></p><p>— Dodson, Chris Dodson (@DoingItDodson) <a href="https://twitter.com/DoingItDodson/status/1842638246548746687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Growing up I used to always go to Chicago Bulls games and was around Derrick as a kid,” Pippen Jr. continued. “I feel I’ve been seeing him since I was 10 years old so that was a surreal feeling to play with him on the roster last season. I definitely talked to him after I heard the news of his retirement. I wouldn’t say ‘filling his shoes’ or anything like that. I don’t really look at it that way.”</p><p>He clearly understood the pathway to NBA playing time coming out of Vanderbilt University. Pippen Jr. made 2k25 Las Vegas Summer League First-Team and was an MVP snub by some accounts. Putting up 21.5 points, 8.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 steals to get into the MVP conversation was just the next step in an upward development trajectory.</p><p>Pippen Jr. also told ClutchPoints it’s been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vxdczkTe5I" rel="noopener">all grit and grind</a> this offseason with very little time for vacations.</p><p>“I appreciate you saying I got snubbed (for MVP) but I’ve been just been building on that,” Pippen Jr. laughed. “I think I had a good Summer League. Even leading up to that, just finishing off last season as well. The core of me, (GG Jackson), (Jake Laravia), we grinded out the whole summer being in Memphis. Following Summer League we’ve all been here as well. Just working on getting better and leading, working towards the season.”</p><p>The Grizzlies got good value from the two-way deal to wind down last season. Pippen Jr. took a couple of weeks to adjust, sure. He still posted a two-week, six-game stretch of 19.2 points, six assists, four rebounds, and almost three steals in 30 minutes per game. The 3.7 turnovers are a problem easily fixed by giving the ball back to Ja Morant for most of that time. Pippen Jr.’s future relies more on the 33.3% from beyond the arc in that six-game stretch being the floor and not the ceiling.</p><h2><b>Grizzlies getting Scotty Pippen Jr. situated for success</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Scotty-Pippen-Jr.-dishes-an-assist.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Pippen Jr. got into 21 games (16 starts) for an injury-ravaged Grizzlies group last season. The 23-year-old averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in just over 25 minutes per night while shooting 49.3% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range. That got Pippen Jr. and the Grizzlies brass thinking about a bigger role on a two-way contract.</p><p>“I’ve been talking with Zach (Kleiman) a lot, coach Taylor (Jenkins). They’ve been pretty transparent with me about steps of going forward,” Pippen Jr. shared. “There’s definitely a path for me to get that roster spot, so I’m just trying to go out there during training camp, just compete, and do whatever I can to get that spot.”</p><p>It sounds like a good preseason would seal the deal. If all goes well, Pippen Jr. could plan on checking into the game as the lead table setter for a Western Conference contender. That clarity would go a long way to helping Pippen Jr. feel like a bigger part of the Ja Morant-led team.</p><p>“I feel like previously in my last two years, I didn’t really feel like I was, you know, kind of a part of the team,” admitted Pippen Jr. “I feel like this year I have something to play for or something to be excited about. Whether it’s the roster spot or just playing for a team that believes in me and my teammates, trust me regardless I’m just happy to be here.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart trade rumors suggest Scotty Pippen Jr. seizing backup PG role

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-former-lottery-pick-grizzlies-discussing-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The former lottery pick Grizzlies are discussing in trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-rumors-The-former-lottery-pick-Grizzlies-are-discussing-in-trade-talks.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The former lottery pick Grizzlies are discussing in trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-15T12:40:48-07:00">July 15th, 12:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-15T12:40:48-07:00">July 15th, 12:40pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Memphis Grizzlies could be trying to part ways with a former lottery pick. The Grizzlies have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5638084/2024/07/15/lauri-markkanen-brandon-ingram-trade-contract-latest-nba-notes/" rel="noopener">discussing deals</a> to move forward Ziaire Williams, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.</p><p>Williams, the 10th overall pick in 2021, has spent his first three seasons with the Grizzlies. That stretch has been loaded with injuries and on-court issues that have resulted in him going from playing starter minutes to being sent down to the G League Memphis Hustle.</p><p>After shooting 45% as a rookie, Williams shot a career low 39.7% in his third season while playing 51 games for the Grizzlies. The lengthy forward’s defensive upside has been a critical piece of his playing time, but his scoring prowess hasn’t seen much progression so far.</p><p>Williams will have a cap hit of $6.1 million this season before heading into restricted free agency next offseason. If the Grizzlies re-sign guard Luke Kennard, they will become a tax-paying team that is close to the first apron.</p><p>Moving off of Williams potentially makes sense for the Grizzlies. They currently have a logjam on the wing that was only made worse when the team drafted forward Jaylen Wells in the 2024 NBA draft and signed him to a standard contract. Between Williams, Wells, John Konchar, Desmond Bane, Vince Williams Jr., GG Jackson and Jake LaRavia, there won’t be enough minutes to go around.</p><h2><b>Zaire Williams has yet to reach potential with Grizzlies</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Ziaire-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>When the Grizzlies selected Ziaire Williams 10th overall in 2021, they were originally slated to pick 17th. Memphis moved up by sending center Jonas Valanciunas and 2021 draft picks (No. 17 and No. 51) to the Pelicans for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe and 2021 picks (No. 10 and No. 40) along with a top-10 protected 2022 first-round pick.</p><p>“I love the energy that the whole organization has from the front office to the players and coaches,” Williams said at the time. “I feel I could fit perfectly as a locker room guy and rookie just learning and developing. This is the perfect organization for me.”</p><p>Williams was a McDonald’s All-American. In his lone season at Stanford, the 6-foot-8 and 185-pound Williams averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20 games. Williams shot 37.1%, including 29.1% on 3-pointers.</p><p>In his college debut against Alabama in the Maui Classic, he scored 19 points, but only surpassed 15 points in five of the team’s remaining 19 games. Despite the modest production, Williams recorded the second triple-double in Stanford history against Washington. He started 14 of 20 games.</p><p>While at Sierra Canyon High School in California, he was named to the United States team for the FIBA Under-19 World Championships. He averaged 4.6 points for the U.S. team, which earned the gold medal. As a senior at Sierra Canyon, Williams averaged 15 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists.</p><p>No word on what the Grizzlies are looking for in exchange for Williams, though an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/biggest-need-grizzlies-must-still-address-2024-nba-free-agency">additional big man</a> or cap relief are still needs for the team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The former lottery pick Grizzlies are discussing in trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-grizzlies-marcus-smart-trade-gains-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets-Grizzlies Marcus Smart trade gains buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Rockets-Grizzlies-Marcus-Smart-trade-gains-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets-Grizzlies Marcus Smart trade gains buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-25T06:53:26-07:00">June 25th, 6:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-25T08:59:59-07:00">June 25th, 8:59am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is almost guaranteed that the Houston Rockets become one of the teams with the most eventful 2024 offseason. Sensing that their rebuilding project is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-still-holding-out-hope-mikal-bridges-trade">about to take off</a>, they are looking to add the missing pieces that will help establish them as a legitimate playoff team in the Western Conference.</p><p>And it seems as though the stars are aligning for the Rockets with regards to a potential trade partner in the Memphis Grizzlies that will help both teams achieve their roster-building goals.</p><p>As of late, there has been plenty of smoke regarding a potential trade-up from the Grizzlies with the goal of drafting Donovan Clingan. At present, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-grizzlies-most-frequent-team-connected-to-donovan-clingan-trade-up">Grizzlies have the ninth-overall pick</a>, but it’s unlikely that Clingan is on the board by the time they make the selection.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Rockets have been linked to a few potential trades involving the third-overall pick, which includes a potential scenario in which they trade down.</p><p>Thus, the Rockets and Grizzlies could perhaps reach an agreement with Marcus Smart being used as the trade sweetener to allow Memphis to <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/this-week-in-basketball-can-only-9df?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=145951059&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">move up six spots</a> in the 2024 NBA Draft, as per NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>Stein also noted that the possibility of a Smart plus the ninth-overall pick for the third-overall selection trade is “being mentioned with increasing regularity by various league insiders.”</p><p>The Grizzlies made a huge move for Smart just last year, so it’s not quite clear why they would dangle him in trade talks to move up in a relatively weak draft without even looking at how their team performs at full strength.</p><p>For the Rockets, adding a former Defensive Player of the Year who’s on an affordable contract could be a huge get. Fans of both teams should stay tuned as to how they will be maneuvering come draft night.</p><h2>Rockets to shoot for the stars still?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rockets-center-Alperen-Sengun-28-and-guard-Jalen-Green-4-come-out-the-locker-room.jpg"></figure><p>The Rockets look like a team that’s ready to go big-game hunting, and there is a clear position of need for the team if they were to take the next step to playoff contention. Marcus Smart is a helpful piece who has been part of plenty of winning teams in the past, but he is not exactly moving the needle for a Rockets team that finished 41-41 last season.</p><p>Thus, even with their interest in Smart becoming more and more apparent, the Rockets should still be a team to keep an eye out for in trade talks for star players on the wing. Stein even wrote that the Rockets, “rest assured,” will be in hot pursuit of Paul George, Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler in the coming weeks.</p><p>Of course, some of those trade candidates are more plausible than others. George, in particular, may not be the player the Rockets organization deems as the missing piece.</p><p>The Los Angeles Clippers forward may be available for trade, especially with his player option deadline coming fast, but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-targeting-paul-george-but-theres-a-catch">Rockets are reportedly “unlikely”</a> to acquire the 34-year-old two-way wing, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.</p><p>Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been the face of the Heat franchise since he joined the team in 2019. He has been the leader of teams that have defied expectations and made deep playoff runs.</p><p>Butler is only under contract for one more guaranteed season, as he has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign. However, Butler, like George, is already 34 years of age. He may not be the best fit for the Rockets’ timeline. The Heat are expected to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-contract-extension-trade-rumors-key-pat-riley-update">keep Butler out of trade talks</a> anyways.</p><p>But the Rockets’ M.O. is clear; they are hell-bent on adding a defensive-minded wing who fits the current team’s identity like hand and glove.</p><h2><b>Will the Grizzlies play the waiting game?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lakers-LeBron-James-against-Grizzlies-Ja-Morant.jpg"></figure><p>It’s understandable why the Grizzlies would want to secure the services of a potential long-term partner for Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt.</p><p>The team’s center position has been a revolving door ever since Steven Adams went down with injury in 2023, and the Grizzlies have had much success with a strong interior presence who can clean up on the glass and set hard screens, providing a solid complement to Jackson’s more finesse style of offense.</p><p>But the Grizzlies gave up Tyus Jones and two first-round picks for Marcus Smart not even a year to this day. Smart is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, and he’ll be making an <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/15358/marcus-smart" rel="noopener">average of $20.9 million</a> for the next two seasons — a very acceptable contract.</p><p>The Grizzlies didn’t have much of a fair shot at contending last season anyway what with all the injury woes they experienced.</p><p>Smart has proven his worth in the past to contending teams. Given the Grizzlies’ contending aspirations, it’ll be interesting to see if they still hold Smart in as high of a regard as they did last year when they gave up all those assets to acquire him or if they believe that using him to trade up for Donovan Clingan is the move.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets-Grizzlies Marcus Smart trade gains buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dayron-sharpe-rising-nets-trade-candidate-amid-rumored-grizzlies-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Day’Ron Sharpe is rising Nets trade candidate amid rumored Grizzlies interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Why-DayRon-Sharpe-is-rising-Nets-trade-candidate-amid-rumored-Grizzlies-interest.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Day’Ron Sharpe is rising Nets trade candidate amid rumored Grizzlies interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T13:12:34-07:00">June 24th, 1:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T15:28:58-07:00">June 24th, 3:28pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA trade rumor mill is picking up with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-4-0-hawks-donovan-clingan-zaccharie-risacher">2024 draft</a> two days away. Several Brooklyn Nets could be on the move, including fourth-year center Day’Ron Sharpe.</p><p>The Memphis Grizzlies expressed exploratory interest in Sharpe at last season’s trade deadline and have now <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-2024-nba-mock-draft-paul-george-tyrese-maxey-free-agency-zach-lavine-trade-talks/" rel="noopener">circled back around</a>, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. The report comes after Action Network’s Matt Moore mentioned Sharpe as a <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-free-agency-rumors-intel-latest-news-after-nba-finals" rel="noopener">name to watch</a> for Memphis, floating a package centered on a bench wing and second round picks.</p><p>Sharpe made an impact last season after cracking Brooklyn’s rotation for the first time in his career. The 22-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.7 blocks in 15.1 minutes per game.</p><p>He continued to dominate the boards, posting the NBA’s second-highest rebounding percentage, behind only Andre Drummond. Sharpe also showed improvement as a short-roll playmaker, posting a 13.4 assist percentage (<a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4892#tab-offensive_overview" rel="noopener">75th percentile among NBA big men</a>), per Cleaning the Glass. The same can be said for his finishing, as he shot a <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sharpda01.html" rel="noopener">career-high 69 percent at the rim</a>, per Basketball Reference.</p><h2><b>Nets’ center situation could lead to Day’Ron Sharpe trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Nets-DayRon-Sharpe-grabbing-a-rebound.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Yet, Sharpe missed extended time due to a knee injury midway through the year and saw his minutes dip late in the season. With the former first-round pick entering the final year of his rookie contract and eligible for an extension, Brooklyn has a decision to make on his future. Several factors make Sharpe a logical trade candidate this summer.</p><p>First, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nets-prioritizing-re-signing-nic-claxton-in-free-agency">Nets are expected</a> to offer Nic Claxton a four-year contract in the $80-$100 million range. They also just selected a promising young big man in Noah Clowney, who ate into Sharpe’s minutes in the final weeks of the season.</p><p>The Nets have been preparing themselves for the 2025 offseason, when they can open over $70 million in cap space after Ben Simmons’ contract expires. With Claxton expected to re-sign and Clowney looking like a long-term frontcourt piece, it’s unclear whether they would use a portion of that cap space to re-sign Sharpe.</p><p>General manager Sean Marks may prefer to cash in on whatever value the big man has this summer. The Nets could trade Sharpe for an expiring contract and draft capital to preserve their 2025 cap space. They could also flip him for a ball handler or wing who offers a better fit alongside Claxton and Clowney.</p><p>Memphis has also previously expressed interest in Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, according to Scotto. If the two teams were to discuss a framework centered on Sharpe and/or Finney-Smith, the Grizzlies have several young players they could dangle in negotiations, including Santi Aldama, Ziaire Williams, Vince Williams, and Jake LaRavia.</p><p>They also have Luke Kennard on a $14.8 million team option for 2024-25, which matches Finney-Smith’s salary. The Brooklyn forward has a $15.4 million player option for 2025-26. A trade swapping him for Kennard would allow the Nets to add that number to their 2025 cap space. Memphis would likely also have to add draft compensation.</p><p>Marks has historically been very active in trade discussions in the days leading up to the draft. This year should be no different as the Nets evaluate the futures of several rotation pieces from last season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Day’Ron Sharpe is rising Nets trade candidate amid rumored Grizzlies interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-zach-edey-grizzlies-blazers-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Zach Edey drawing strong Grizzlies, Blazers draft interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Zach-Edey-drawing-strong-Grizzlies-Blazers-draft-interest.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Zach Edey drawing strong Grizzlies, Blazers draft interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T11:46:40-07:00">June 24th, 11:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T11:46:40-07:00">June 24th, 11:46am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zach Edey is one of the most intriguing prospects in recent memory. The Purdue product has emerged as one of the best players in college basketball over the past couple of years. However, he is not expected to be a top draft pick. So what is the latest on Edey’s draft case?</p><p>Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-4-0-hawks-donovan-clingan-zaccharie-risacher">interested in the center</a>. Memphis may even be interested in moving down in the NBA Draft to add value while still potentially selecting Edey. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers were also linked to him.</p><p>Edey is drawing interest, but he is expected to fall to the mid-first round or so. The Grizzlies have the No. 9 overall pick but may attempt to trade down in hopes that Edey will still be available. This would allow them to add more talent while still drafting Edey.</p><p>As mentioned, the Blazers may be open to selecting Edey if he is still available at No. 14 overall. It should be noted that the Jazz have the No. 10 pick while the Lakers have the No. 17 pick. The odds of Edey still being available after pick No. 17 in the draft are slim, but nothing is completely out of the question.</p><p>So why is Edey not a top-tier draft prospect? After all, this is a player who has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-zach-edey-draws-shaq-comparison-ahead-2024-draft">drawn comparisons to Shaquille O’Neal</a>.</p><h2><b>Questions abut Zach Edey in the NBA</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Zach-Edey-dunking-the-ball-during-Fridays-practice-before-Purdues-Final-Four-game-against-NC-State.jpeg"><figcaption>Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Edey is a terrific player. At 7’4, he is certainly an intimidating presence. There is concern about how he will fit into today’s modern NBA, though.</p><p>The game today is reliant upon long-range shooting in a lot of ways. Being able to stretch the floor as a big man is important. Edey is a half-court player who scores the majority of his points in the post.</p><p>In the end, a player like Edey is going to bully his way into some points. Perhaps his greatest assets will be his rebounding and defensive ability. His size gives him the potential to become an elite NBA rim-protector. Edey should also not have much trouble recording impressive rebound statistics on a consistent basis.</p><p>He’s going to be a valuable player in the league. The question is whether or not he can emerge as a star. And that will likely depend on if he can add enough offensive production to go along with his expected defensive and rebounding contributions.</p><p>The right fit will be especially important for Zach Edey. There are certain systems where a player like Edey can thrive, while he would struggle in others.</p><p>As mentioned earlier, Edey is an extremely intriguing prospect. It’s difficult to make any predictions for his NBA career. He could shatter expectations and become a dominant paint scorer. But there is a possibility that Edey deals with offensive frustrations throughout his career.</p><p>At the moment, Edey is only focused on preparing for the draft. Which team do you think will select Zach Edey in the 2024 NBA Draft?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Zach Edey drawing strong Grizzlies, Blazers draft interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-most-frequent-team-connected-to-donovan-clingan-trade-up');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies ‘most frequent’ team connected to Donovan Clingan trade up');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Grizzlies-most-frequent-team-connected-to-Donovan-Clingan-trade-up.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies ‘most frequent’ team connected to Donovan Clingan trade up</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T09:04:45-07:00">June 24th, 9:04am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T09:04:45-07:00">June 24th, 9:04am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There remains plenty of uncertainty as to how the 2024 NBA Draft will unfold even though there are only two days before the league’s newest crop of rookies enter the association. But one thing is becoming increasingly clearer as we inch closer to draft night — the Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly interested in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-grizzlies-monitoring-center-offseason">adding a new frontcourt partner</a> for Jaren Jackson Jr.</p><p>One option that the Grizzlies could pursue is to <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-2024-nba-mock-draft-paul-george-tyrese-maxey-free-agency-zach-lavine-trade-talks/" rel="noopener">trade up</a> from the ninth overall pick so they could select UConn’s Donovan Clingan, as per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Clingan has been very impressive throughout the entire draft process, and at 7’2, he projects to be a resolute rim protector. Clingan and Jackson could potentially form the league’s best defensive frontcourt, and one of its most versatile as well.</p><p>Clingan, in two years with UConn, did not shoot too many threes. However, he has been flashing his improved range from the perimeter up to beyond the arc during draft-related workouts. This could enable the Grizzlies to form a solid inside-outside duo to help them bounce back from an injury-ravaged 2023-24 campaign.</p><p>Where there is smoke, there is fire, and according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, the Grizzlies <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/40403204/2024-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-58-picks" rel="noopener">have been “frequently connected”</a> to a potential draft-night swoop-in for Donovan Clingan; it’s unclear how much it would take for the Grizzlies to, say, move up to three or four so they could get one of the best centers in this year’s draft, but they own all of their future first-rounders which they could use as sweeteners in any prospective deal.</p><p>The Grizzlies may have to be aggressive if they are serious in their pursuit of Clingan on draft night; Givony and Woo noted that the UConn big man “remains in play” for the Atlanta Hawks at number one, as well as trade-back scenarios that involve moving the first overall pick.</p><h2><b>Grizzlies look to patch some holes</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Grizzlies-Steven-Adams-laughs-with-referee-Courtney-Kirkland.webp"></figure><p>The center position was a revolving door all season long for a Grizzlies team that endured <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-ja-morants-reaction-roster-turnover-injury-riddled-season">injury woes of historic proportions</a>. Steven Adams last played for the team in January 2023, and since then, the Grizzlies haven’t found a suitable replacement for a hard-nosed, relentless glass-crasher who set arguably the best screens in the entire association.</p><p>Last season, the Grizzlies relied on Santi Aldama, Xavier Tillman Sr., Bismack Biyombo, and Trey Jemison to partner with Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt. Suffice to say, those players did not provide what the Grizzlies want from the center position. Thus, their rumored interest in Donovan Clingan makes a ton of sense.</p><p>But in the event that the trade demands for a potential move up the draft end up being too unreasonable for their liking, the Grizzlies could still pivot and look for another center that fits the mold that they’re looking for. It is possible that the Grizzlies set their sights on acquiring one of Clint Capela or Mitchell Robinson, both of whom are available as per Scotto.</p><p>The Grizzlies shouldn’t find acquiring Capela too difficult of a task. The Hawks’ leverage isn’t what it used to be; the entire NBA knows that they’re embarking on a rebuild, or at least placing more of an emphasis on youth movement, and Capela doesn’t fit their timeline. Moreover, they have Onyeka Okongwu who’s waiting to take over and become the team’s starting center. Capela is also in the final year of his deal, and he’s making around $22.3 million for the 2023-24 season which further depresses his trade value.</p><p>Meanwhile, Mitchell Robinson may not be the most enticing trade option in the world for the Grizzlies. For a team that knows how injuries can mean the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-ja-morant-gets-100-real-health-status-shoulder-injury-rehab">death of a season</a>, acquiring Robinson from the New York Knicks may be counterintuitive. Robinson suited up in just 31 games this past season, while his postseason run ended early with yet another injury. But Robinson is set to make a total of $27.3 million for the next two seasons, so it’ll be easier to put together an acceptable trade package.</p><h2>Donovan Clingan to the moon?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Donovan-Clingan.jpg"></figure><p>The traditional rim-protecting, rim-rolling big man is making a comeback in style; Rudy Gobert was as crucial as it was going to get for the Minnesota Timberwolves as they made it to the Western Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history, while the Dallas Mavericks rode their center duo of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to an alley-oop party all the way to a trip to the NBA Finals.</p><p>Clearly, there is a place for this archetype of player to be featured on a contending team; the Grizzlies, after a down 2023-24 season, are looking to return to the playoffs with aplomb. Could Donovan Clingan, the 20-year old 7’2 big man with a 7’7 wingspan, be their long-term answer at the center position?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies ‘most frequent’ team connected to Donovan Clingan trade up

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-lakers-grizzlies-monitoring-center-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Lakers, Grizzlies ‘closely monitoring’ center position');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lakers-Grizzlies-closely-monitoring-center-position-this-offseason.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Lakers, Grizzlies ‘closely monitoring’ center position</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-22T06:17:07-07:00">June 22nd, 6:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-22T06:17:07-07:00">June 22nd, 6:17am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and Gaming. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball. He's also working on his BS Mathematics degree.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The center position is going to be one of the more hotly-contested positions in the 2024 NBA free agency period. There are many elite big men that are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/what-the-knicks-can-do-if-isaiah-hartenstein-signs-elsewhere">set to hit the market</a>. In addition, a few centers could potentially be trade targets due to their situation. There are quite a few teams that do need an upgrade at the center position. Two of these teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, both the Lakers and the Grizzlies are <a href="https://sny.tv/articles/mitchell-robinson-knicks-trade-talks-6-21-24" rel="noopener">keeping a close eye on the center position</a> in the offseason, per Ian Begley. In a report about Mitchell Robinson trade rumors, Begley noted that the two teams, as well as the New Orleans Pelicans, are watching the market.</p><p>“The Lakers, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are among the teams closely monitoring the center position this offseason. The Hawks have continued to gauge the market for Clint Capela. Yahoo! Sports earlier reported that the Knicks were gauging the market for Robinson.”</p><p>The current center free agency class consists of some pretty solid names. Nic Claxton and Isaiah Hartenstein are the headliners, while Jonas Valanciunas and Andre Drummond are other names to consider. As Begley mentioned, Capela and Robinson are also on the trade block as potential candidates. Considering the Lakers and the Grizzlies’ dire needs at center, these options are worth taking a look at.</p><p>Both the Lakers and the Grizzlies suffered heartbreak last season, though for different reasons. For LA, a wildly inconsistent season led to the team losing in the first round to the Denver Nuggets in quick fashion. In Memphis, an injury-riddled season became the reason for them missing the playoffs entirely.</p><h2><b>Lakers and Grizzlies’ center troubles</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lakers-LeBron-James-against-Grizzlies-Ja-Morant.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Lakers and Grizzlies’ woes at the center position stem from the fact that their nominal “centers” are either unwilling or are not used to playing the position. Anthony Davis’ disdain for playing center is well-documented. LA still desires a traditional big man to complement Davis and allow him to play freely. However, they are pretty strapped for cash, so finding an upgrade will mean looking at the bargain bin.</p><p>As for the Grizzlies, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-steven-adams-breaks-silence-on-injury-recovery-trade-to-houston">Steven Adams’ injury</a> and eventual trade left the team with no true center on the court. As a result, Jaren Jackson Jr. has played center for the team. It… hasn’t been pretty at times. JJJ still has a bad habit of getting into foul trouble, and playing center restricts him from doing what he does best: roam around and block shots out of nowhere.</p><p>Upgrading the center position will be vital for both the Lakers and the Grizzlies to succeed next season. For LA, their center decisions will likely revolve around <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jj-redick-mindset-takes-lakers-job">new head coach JJ Redick’s designs</a> for the team. For Memphis, their priority is to find a traditional big man that will allow Jackson Jr. to return to his natural role as the power forward.</p><p>Who will either team snag in the offseason? It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out for the Lakers and Grizzlies in free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Lakers, Grizzlies ‘closely monitoring’ center position

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-pursuit-center-upgrades-include-clint-capela-trade-interest');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies’ pursuit of center upgrades include Clint Capela trade interest');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Grizzlies-pursuit-of-center-upgrades-include-Clint-Capela-trade-interest.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies’ pursuit of center upgrades include Clint Capela trade interest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-18T13:01:33-07:00">June 18th, 1:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-18T13:01:33-07:00">June 18th, 1:01pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Monday had to be a tough day for Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, who was forced to watch his former team, the Boston Celtics, hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy without him after trading him this past offseason in a deal that ultimately landed them former Washington Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-drops-truth-bomb-filling-marcus-smart-void">Smart was a member</a> this season of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/best-donovan-clingan-destinations-2024-nba-draft">a Grizzlies team</a> that dealt with a nearly unprecedented amount of injuries and thus was unable to make much noise in a vaunted Western Conference playoff landscape that figures to only get more and more competitive as time goes on.</p><p>Still, the good news for the Grizzlies is that <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/nba-free-agency-rumors-intel-latest-news-after-nba-finals" rel="noopener">they are expected</a> to have star point guard Ja Morant back and healthy for the upcoming 2024-25 season, with Smart and a host of other veterans ready to help lift Memphis back into the spotlight they partly occupied between 2021 and 2023.</p><p>One of the biggest weak points on the Grizzlies’ roster currently is at the center position, as the team traded Steven Adams this year and doesn’t have a ton of depth in that spot on the roster at the present moment. Thus, it figures that the team would look into potentially trading for some reinforcements in that regard this offseason.</p><p>“Clint Capela is a popular trade target with the Grizzlies, Wizards, Pelicans and Bulls having expressed interest,” reported NBA insider Matt Moore of The Action Network.</p><p>Moore also noted that “the Grizzlies are expected to try and add multiple centers this summer, which is one reason they’ve been linked to trade-up rumors in the draft. Another name to watch as a potential reserve option is Day’Ron Sharpe from the Nets with one of their bench wings and a second rounder being part of a potential deal.”</p><h2><b>Can the Grizzlies bounce back?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Morant-and-Smart.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>There were certain points during the 2023-24 season that the Grizzlies’ active roster consisted almost exclusively of players that were not familiar to the average fan due to the sheer volume of injuries that the team had sustained over the course of the year.</p><p>Morant missed the first 25 games of the year due to a suspension and looked ready to take the league by storm upon his return in December, but unfortunately wasn’t able to stay in the lineup for long before suffering a season ending injury, which coincided with several other brutal injuries for Taylor Jenkins and company throughout the year.</p><p>When they’re healthy, the Grizzlies would figure to be a tier below teams like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference pecking order, but that still doesn’t mean that they can’t be a competitive team and perhaps go on a deep playoff run if things break their way. After all, a healthy Morant is still one of the ten to fifteen best players in the league, and Marcus Smart brings a degree of defense and veteran stability to the team that wasn’t there the last time they made the postseason back in 2023.</p><p>In any case, next season is set to get underway in October.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies’ pursuit of center upgrades include Clint Capela trade interest

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-bulls-blazers-interested-trading-up-uconn-donovan-clingan');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Blazers among teams interested in trading up for UConn star Donovan Clingan');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Grizzlies-Bulls-Blazers-among-teams-interested-in-trading-up-for-UConn-star-Donovan-Clingan.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Blazers among teams interested in trading up for UConn star Donovan Clingan</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-01T22:31:53-07:00">June 1st, 10:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-01T22:31:53-07:00">June 1st, 10:31pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Draft is fast approaching, and that means that it’s rumor season in the NBA. One rumor has multiple teams interested in <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/NBADraft24-40245844/2024-nba-mock-draft-predictions-all-58-picks-ncaa-early-entry-withdrawal-deadline" rel="noopener">possibly trading up</a> for star UConn center Donovan Clingan, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN:</p><p>“There’s chatter around the league that teams such as Portland, Memphis and Chicago might look to move up to draft Clingan earlier than this, but in this mock scenario, he falls right into the Trail Blazers’ lap. Clingan brings size, length, defensive prowess, nonstop intensity and passing ability along with a back-to-back national championship pedigree. He has plenty of room for growth alongside the Blazers’ core at just 20 years old.”</p><p>The Blazers and Grizzlies were also<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-draft-rumors-donovan-clingan-trade-up-interest-two-western-conference-teams"> linked to Clingan</a> earlier in the week by ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.</p><p>While the Blazers already have centers Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III (for now) under contract, it’s worth noting that Givony is generally familiar with Portland assistant GM and draft guru Mike Schmitz’s thinking as the two were draft experts together at ESPN and Draft Express.</p><p>If the Blazers look to move on from Time Lord, they may want to add Clingan, a center who projects somewhere between a solid backup and a potential Walker Kessler type that you can build a team defense around.</p><p>The Grizzlies, having traded Steven Adams to the Rockets after he suffered a preseason injury that was season-ending, have Jaren Jackson at center – though they generally prefer to play him at power forward next to another big body. Beyond that, rookie Trey Jemison and second year player Santi Aldama – both power forwards – are the only other true big men on the roster.</p><p>The Chicago Bulls are an interesting case, in that they have a solid offensive center who is likely on the back end of his career in Nikola Vucevic but have need for a defensive minded big man. The Bulls have an aging expensive roster and could use an influx of rookie-scale difference makers as they possibly get off of a contract or two in the near future.</p><h2><b>Blazers, Bulls, and Grizzlies have NBA Draft needs beyond Donovan Clingan</b></h2><p>While both teams could use a difference making center, it makes more sense for the Grizzlies to swing high on Clingan. Clingan, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-draft-scouting-report-donovan-clingan">has question marks of his own</a>, wouldn’t start over Ayton in Portland. It’s also likely that Blazers draft guru Mike Schmitz – known for prioritizing high-upside players in the draft – would look to another player that has a higher ceiling in the NBA Draft.</p><p>The Blazers, having drafted what they believe is their backcourt of the future in Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, have needs everywhere else. In particular, Portland needs a true 3-and-D wing and more shooting from all over the floor.</p><p>The Grizzlies, after a lost season due to injuries suffered by Adams, Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and pretty much everyone else expected to play a key role, need size and shooting.</p><p>The Bulls have the No. 11 pick in the draft next month and have many needs to address, with shooting at the top of the list.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies, Bulls, Blazers among teams interested in trading up for UConn star Donovan Clingan

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-is-taylor-jenkins-really-on-hot-seat');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Is Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins really on hot seat?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Is-Grizzlies-Taylor-Jenkins-really-on-hot-seat.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Is Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins really on hot seat?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-27T13:58:26-07:00">May 27th, 1:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-27T13:58:59-07:00">May 27th, 1:58pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Following a season marred by injuries, a rational person would conclude that the Memphis Grizzlies get a redo for the 2024-25 campaign as far as management is concerned. While that is obviously true to some degree, their head coach may be in a precarious spot.</p><p>Taylor Jenkins joins the New Orleans Pelicans’ Willie Green and Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers as three individuals who could be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5503204/2024/05/19/bronny-james-nba-draft-combine-takeaways/" rel="noopener">sitting on the hot seat</a> entering next season, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger.</p><p>Based on this report, one has to reason that the same would have been true if Memphis did not lose Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and others to lengthy injury stints. When healthy, this squad has Western Conference Finals-caliber talent. Therefore, Jenkins will be expected to insert a healthy Memphis into that conversation.</p><p>Depending on circumstance, however, he might be afforded some leeway from a front office that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-2-0-hawks-considering-zaccharie-risacher-over-alex-sarr">appears to feel optimistic</a> about the current trajectory of the franchise.</p><p>“Regarding the Grizzlies as a whole, this is an organization that still believes they are in contention in the Western Conference when at full strength, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported. “The Grizzlies’ struggles this past year are concerning, but Memphis and GM Zach Kleiman, according to league sources, maintain full confidence in Taylor Jenkins’ abilities to lead this organization.”</p><p>Will that sentiment be true if the team falls in the first or second round of the NBA Playoffs again? Neither Taylor Jenkins nor Grizzlies fans want to know the answer to that question.</p><h2><b>How Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies can bounce back in 2024-25</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Grizzlies-HC-Taylor-Jenkins-calls-out-to-his-team.jpg"><figcaption>Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Memphis’ 27-55 record and supposed “lost year” is a blessing in disguise, as the franchise now owns the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Kleiman has intriguing options at his disposal, which could include selecting another potential building block to pair with Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. or <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-grizzlies-consider-no-9-pick-trade-ja-morant-returns">trading for an already viable piece</a> who fits their current competitive timetable.</p><p>In what is considered one of the worst draft classes in modern history, finding even a future starter at No. 9 could be a tall order. The Grizzlies might be more compelled to make an offer for an established scoring wing like Brandon Ingram. Whatever scenario they decide to choose, this asset theoretically provides them with a golden opportunity to improve.</p><p>Adding a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-early-grizzlies-2024-nba-draft-targets-in-no-7-lottery-slot">potential diamond in the rough</a> or an All-Star-type of talent to a roster that already consists of a dynamic backcourt, two former Defensive Player of the Year winners and rookie standout GG Jackson II should prevent Jenkins’ rear from getting too warm next year.</p><p>Much depends on how the offseason unfolds, but fans are gleaming with hope and positivity. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-memphis-nets-takedown-has-taylor-jenkins-15-wins-away-from-all-time-record">Their head coach</a> has guided Memphis through a transition era that could have been far more grueling and now leads a squad that arguably possess a higher ceiling than any other team in franchise history.</p><p>Now, ownership wants the historic results that are supposed to follow such high expectations. While it remains to be seen if the clock is ticking on Taylor Jenkins, the next season will be a critical one for him and the organization.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Is Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins really on hot seat?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-draft-rumors-donovan-clingan-trade-up-interest-two-western-conference-teams');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA draft rumors: Donovan Clingan drawing trade up interest from two Western Conference teams');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Donovan-Clingan-drawing-trade-up-interest-from-two-Western-Conference-teams.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA draft rumors: Donovan Clingan drawing trade up interest from two Western Conference teams</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-27T12:38:30-07:00">May 27th, 12:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-27T12:38:30-07:00">May 27th, 12:38pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>We’re now less than a month away from the 2024 NBA Draft, with the event taking place on June 26-27. That means that speculation has begun regarding key players and where they will end up.</p><p>One such player is former UConn center Donovan Clingan. Projected to be taken in the top-half of the NBA Draft lottery, Clingan reportedly could have a pair of teams <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-2-0-hawks-considering-zaccharie-risacher-over-alex-sarr">looking to trade up</a> to draft him, per Brett Siegel of Clutchpoints:</p><p>“It is hard to imagine Donovan Clingan falling past sixth overall to the Charlotte Hornets. Despite already having Mark Williams and Nick Richards, Clingan is by far the best talent on the board in this position, and should he be here at sixth overall, the Hornets will have options to play with. They could realistically take the UConn big man here and figure out their lockjam at center in the offseason, possibly moving Richards, who could be a great addition for teams around the league such as the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, and Memphis Grizzlies. Although, there is certainly a chance the Hornets look to trade down from this spot with Clingan on the board. The Portland Trail Blazers and Grizzlies also hold strong interest in Clingan, league sources said.”</p><p>The Blazers currently hold the seventh and 14th picks in next month’s NBA Draft and could use those picks in order to move up a spot or two in order to select Clingan. Portland has Deandre Ayton at center who, despite the national narrative, performed very well for the Blazers once the team started utilizing him properly.</p><p>Behind him in the rotation is Robert Williams III, who a.) could be on his way out in a trade, and b.) probably can’t be counted on to play after missing nearly the entire season with another knee injury. The Blazers also converted two-way center Duop Reath’s contract to a standard NBA deal. He performed admirably in his rookie season but isn’t necessarily a difference maker.</p><p>The Grizzlies, having traded Steven Adams to the Rockets after he suffered a preseason injury that was season-ending, have Jaren Jackson at center – though they generally prefer to play him at power forward next to another big body. Beyond that, rookie Trey Jemison and second year player Santi Aldama – both power forwards – are the only other true bigs on the roster.</p><h2><b>Blazers and Grizzlies have significant NBA Draft needs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blazers-Grizzlies.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While both teams could use a difference making center, it makes more sense for the Grizzlies to swing high on Clingan. Clingan, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-draft-scouting-report-donovan-clingan">has question marks of his own</a>, wouldn’t start over Ayton. It’s likely that Blazers draft guru Mike Schmitz – known for prioritizing high-upside players in the draft – would look to another player that has a higher ceiling in the NBA Draft.</p><p>The Blazers, having drafted what they believe is their backcourt of the future in Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson, have needs everywhere else. In particular, Portland needs a true 3-and-D wing and more shooting from all over the floor.</p><p>The Grizzlies, after a lost season due to injuries suffered by Adams, Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and pretty much everyone else expected to play a key role, need size and shooting.</p><p>Both teams will be ones to watch during next month’s NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA draft rumors: Donovan Clingan drawing trade up interest from two Western Conference teams

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-consider-no-9-pick-trade-ja-morant-returns');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies to consider No. 9 NBA Draft pick trade as Ja Morant returns');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NBA-rumors-Grizzlies-to-consider-No.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies to consider No. 9 NBA Draft pick trade as Ja Morant returns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-13T12:00:45-07:00">May 13th, 12:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-14T10:09:32-07:00">May 14th, 10:09am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After finishing 27-55 this past season, the casual observer may have thought that a rebuilding phase was coming for the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the team is rumored to be approaching <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-early-grizzlies-2024-nba-draft-targets-in-no-7-lottery-slot">the upcoming NBA Draft</a> like a contender.</p><p>Memphis is reportedly <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/40134868/lowe-latest-draft-intel-trade-buzz-superstitions-nba-secret-draft-lottery-room" rel="noopener">looking to trade out</a> of the No. 9 spot in the draft with star guard Ja Morant returning from a shoulder injury, via ESPN’s Zach Lowe.</p><p>“The Grizzlies are expected to explore the potential return for the No. 9 pick, sources said,” Lowe said. “Again, that does not mean they will end up trading that pick or trading out of the lottery. They will look at everything, sources said. But if their core returns healthy next season, they are set to compete again near the top of the West after something of a gap year. Seeing what kind of veteran help a trade might fetch makes sense.”</p><p>To pull off a trade, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman will have to consider all offers and possibilities. Getting maximum value out of the pick is essential, as this could help extend the team’s championship window.</p><p>What will <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-most-to-blame-for-disastrous-2023-24-nba-season">Memphis end up doing</a>?</p><h2><b>The Grizzlies are unlikely to get a star prospect from the NBA Draft</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Grizzlies-Zach-Kleiman.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Grizzlies got unlucky to only draw the ninth pick, after finishing with the seventh-worst record in the league. Kleiman and company may have been more inclined to keep the pick if they were in a higher spot and if this draft class were deeper. However, it may not be worth <a href="https://twitter.com/grindcitymedia/status/1789790785858162836" rel="noopener">staying at a lower spot</a> without a top-shelf prospect available, via <i>The Daily Memphian’s </i>Drew Hill.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Grizzlies land at #9 in the NBA Draft Lottery. </p><p>Hear from <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewHill_DM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewHill_DM</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MyMikeCheck?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MyMikeCheck</a> as they react and discuss what's next for <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> <a href="https://t.co/yGa19Bwa4O">pic.twitter.com/yGa19Bwa4O</a></p><p>— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/grindcitymedia/status/1789790785858162836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“You do wonder if it increases the odds that this pick could get traded,” Hill said. “I think that definitely could happen if their guy is not there at that point in the draft. I’m sure they’ve done the homework. They’ve figured out who they like but, without moving up, it’s hard to know in a draft like this where there’s not a clear consensus top tier. ”</p><p>While this class has talent, there is no surefire top prospect. None of the players are seen as anywhere close to generational talents. Rather, most of the <a href="https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/nba-draft-lottery-2024-live-updates-results/EniwckALxK7w/DF15nqv7Mfkh/" rel="noopener">top 10 players’ ceilings</a> are thought to be All-Star level, but not superstar, via Sam Vecenie of <i>The Athletic</i>.</p><p>“In some capacity, all of the players ranked in my top 10 have a non-zero chance to go No. 1 overall if things break right in terms of the draft lottery and they have a strong pre-draft process,” Vecenie said. “There are players there who have a much better chance to go No. 1 than others, to be sure, but NBA teams are all over the map in this class. It does not have a sure-fire guy, so teams are doing their due diligence across the spectrum. I cannot remember a class in which the lottery will have such a significant impact on how the top will be selected.”</p><p>With Morant, Marcus Smart, and Desmond Bane all returning, it may make more sense for Kleiman to use the pick as a trade chip to bolster the roster now, rather than wait on an average-level first-round prospect to develop. The Grizzlies had 107 combined wins over the previous two seasons when healthy, so there’s no reason to think that they can’t get back to the top of the West with better injury luck.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies to consider No. 9 NBA Draft pick trade as Ja Morant returns

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-targeting-former-lottery-pick-in-pistons-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies targeting former lottery pick in Pistons trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_Grizzlies_targeting_former_lottery_pick_in_Pistons_trade_talks.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies targeting former lottery pick in Pistons trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-08T07:55:33-08:00">February 8th, 7:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-08T07:55:33-08:00">February 8th, 7:55am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the NBA Trade Deadline looming at 3 p.m. ET today, the Memphis Grizzlies <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-trade-deadline-rumors-the-latest-intel-on-all-30-teams/" rel="noopener">remain engaged</a> with the Detroit Pistons on a potential Killian Hayes trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.</p><p>The sticking point with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-marcus-smart-emotional-message-celtics-fans-awesome-return" rel="noopener">Grizzlies</a> and Pistons on a Killian Hayes trade reportedly is second-round draft compensation, according to Scotto.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-killian-hayes-draws-grizzlies-interest-amid-trade-request-with-pistons" rel="noopener">Grizzlies</a> are likely headed for a high lottery pick, but they could use another guard to get through the rest of this season. They would also have the opportunity to keep Hayes, who is a restricted free agent after this season.</p><p>The Pistons are firmly at the bottom of the NBA with a 7-43 record. Hayes was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and has not lived up to expectations so far in his career. However, it seems the Grizzlies might see some kind of use for him.</p><p>With Hayes approaching restricted free agency and possibly going to cost more starting next season, it could make sense for a rebuilding Pistons team to trade him at this point for whatever they could get. It remains to be seen if the Grizzlies will be able to give Detroit an offer that is attractive enough.</p><p>The Grizzlies’ current standing could help them out in negotiations with the Pistons, as the second-round pick they own will likely be higher than other teams interested in acquiring Hayes. It seems that the Grizzlies have legitimate interest in Hayes, and it will be worth monitoring whether or not a deal gets done before 3 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies targeting former lottery pick in Pistons trade talks

NBA fan mailbag: 76ers’ plans amid Joel Embiid injury, trade deadline rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-killian-hayes-draws-grizzlies-interest-amid-trade-request-with-pistons');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Killian Hayes draws Grizzlies interest amid Pistons trade request');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA-rumors-Killian-Hayes-draws-Grizzlies-interest-amid-Pistons-trade-request.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Killian Hayes draws Grizzlies interest amid Pistons trade request</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-05T08:22:12-08:00">February 5th, 8:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-05T08:22:12-08:00">February 5th, 8:22am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The crowd went mild when news broke of fourth-year Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pistons-player-must-traded-2023-24-nba-season" rel="noopener">trade request</a>. After all, Hayes hasn’t exactly set the NBA world on fire in his first three-and-a half seasons as a professional, disappointing considerably after being selected seventh overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.</p><p>Nonetheless, Hayes is only 22 years old, so he isn’t exactly a lost cause. This is exactly what the Memphis Grizzlies are thinking. After all, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Grizzlies, in the wake of a lost season that has seen their roster be decimated beyond belief by injuries, <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-trade-deadline-intel-lakers-celtics-bulls-cavs-mavs-nets-pistons-wizards-grizzlies-wolves/" rel="noopener">have expressed interest</a> in trading for the Pistons outcast.</p><p>At the moment, the Grizzlies have pressing needs across the entire roster. This was apparent when they fielded just eight players — four of whom have only latched onto the team in recent weeks — in their 131-91 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. They are currently trotting out Jacob Gilyard and Scotty Pippen Jr. at the point, and as incredulous as it may seem to some fans, Killian Hayes may be an upgrade over those two.</p><p>Hayes’ luster has certainly worn off, and his lottery pick pedigree is nothing but a thing of the past. But staying with the Pistons won’t do him or his team any good. If the Grizzlies were to trade for the 22-year old southpaw out of France, he would have the opportunity of a lifetime to cement himself as a rotation piece or even a valuable role player for Memphis for years to come.</p><p>Killian Hayes is in the final year of his rookie deal, and he’s <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/detroit-pistons/killian-hayes-70649/" rel="noopener">making around</a> $7.4 million this season; Victor Oladipo’s contract, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-steven-adams-trade-grade-after-stunning-deal-with-grizzlies" rel="noopener">recently acquired</a> from the Houston Rockets in the Steven Adams trade, should be a perfect match for the Pistons as they try to clear out cap space to be major players in free agency come summertime.</p><p>This is the definition of a no-risk move for the Grizzlies even though Hayes’ play for the Pistons during this season has been uninspiring. The 22-year old is currently averaging 6.9 points and 4.8 assists per game on 47.1 percent true shooting.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Killian Hayes draws Grizzlies interest amid Pistons trade request

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-lakers-bucks-interested-grizzlies-marcus-smart-catch');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Lakers, Bucks interested in Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart, but there’s a catch');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_Lakers_Bucks_interested_in_Grizzlies__Marcus_Smart_but_there_s_a_catch.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Lakers, Bucks interested in Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart, but there’s a catch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-02T07:41:50-08:00">February 2nd, 7:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-02T07:41:50-08:00">February 2nd, 7:41am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-dejounte-murray-bruce-brown-warriors-trade-deadline-rumors-intel" rel="noopener">NBA Trade Deadline</a> is right around the corner and other are plenty of rumors swirling about. The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks are two teams that will be linked to several players leading up to the deadline. And, both teams have been rumored to be interested in Marcus Smart, although the Memphis Grizzlies might not be inclined to <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/this-years-nba-trade-market-hindered-by-a-lack-of-significant-activity-135454803.html" rel="noopener">trade him away</a>, per the latest from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.</p><p>‘While several clubs — including the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, sources said — have phoned Memphis about obtaining defensive stalwart Marcus Smart, the Grizzlies have shut down any overtures for the veteran guard, sources said.’</p><p>So, while the Lakers and Bucks are interested, the Grizzlies have shut those talks down and could keep Smart past the deadline. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints gave <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-deadline-2024-chris-paul-warriors-ja-morant-injuries-impact" rel="noopener">more insight</a> earlier in January as well:</p><p>“Bane and Jackson are not going anywhere, nor is the team showing interest in moving Smart before they even had the chance to see him play alongside Morant.”</p><p>The Grizzlies just pulled off a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-steven-adams-trade-rockets" rel="noopener">massive salary dump</a> involving the Houston Rocket, which sent Steven Adams to the Rockets for Victor Oladipo and a set of second-round draft picks. Smart is a more intriguing player and is averaging 14.5 PPG in his first season with Memphis after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/winners-losers-celtics-wizards-grizzlies-trade-kristaps-porzingis-marcus-smart" rel="noopener">being traded in the offseason</a>. However, he hasn’t played since January 9 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-grizzlies-marcus-smart-trade-outlook-finger-injury" rel="noopener">due to an injury</a>. Nonetheless, for teams inquiring about Marcus Smart, the Grizzlies haven’t shown interest in moving him, at least until now.</p><p>The trade deadline is February 8.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Lakers, Bucks interested in Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart, but there’s a catch

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-marcus-smart-trade-outlook-finger-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart trade outlook after finger injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Grizzlies__Marcus_Smart_trade_outlook_after_finger_injury.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart trade outlook after finger injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-01-12T11:43:58-08:00">January 12th, 11:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-01-12T11:43:58-08:00">January 12th, 11:43am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2023-24 season has been a nightmare campaign for the Memphis Grizzlies to this point, and it likely won’t be getting better anytime soon thanks to a rash of injuries they are dealing with. While Ja Morant’s season-ending shoulder injury will draw the most attention, Marcus Smart is also set to miss time again after he suffered an injury to his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-marcus-smart-out-at-least-6-weeks-severe-finger-injury" rel="noopener">right ring finger</a>.</p><p>Smart’s first season with the Grizzlies has been plagued by injuries, as he’s now expected to miss six weeks after sitting out 17 games earlier this season due to a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39287307/grizzlies-marcus-smart-least-6-weeks-finger-injury" rel="noopener">foot sprain</a>. With the season going downhill quickly, would Memphis consider trading Smart in an effort to recoup some assets? While there are rumors floating around, it doesn’t sound like the Grizzlies are ready to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-deadline-2024-chris-paul-warriors-ja-morant-injuries-impact" rel="noopener">blow things up</a> just yet.</p><p>“Bane and Jackson are not going anywhere, nor is the team showing interest in moving Smart before they even had the chance to see him play alongside Morant. The general belief amongst league executives who spoke with ClutchPoints is that the Grizzlies will continue to make calls and get a gauge for what the trade market is looking like. However, they are not expected to make a significant roster change at this time.” – Brett Siegel, ClutchPoints</p><h2><b>Grizzlies not ready to blow up their roster just yet</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/grizzlies-news-marcus-smart.webp"></figure><p>The Grizzlies picked up Smart from the Boston Celtics this past offseason in an effort to pair him up in the backcourt with Morant, but with Morant now out for the rest of the season, Memphis won’t get to see this pairing until next season. Sure, this campaign isn’t going according to plan, but why move on from Smart without even seeing how he and Morant play together?</p><p>Memphis still owns their first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, so they could earn a high pick in the upcoming draft to help them revamp their roster for next season. And even though they are sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference right now, they could still find their way into the Play-In Tournament this season if things go their way. It doesn’t make much sense for them to give up on Smart, and unless something crazy happens, it looks like that won’t be happening this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies’ Marcus Smart trade outlook after finger injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-grizzlies-believe-ja-morants-dad-tee-driving-force-behind-issues');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Grizzlies believe Ja Morant’s dad Tee a ‘driving force’ behind issues');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Thumbs-6-7.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Grizzlies believe Ja Morant’s dad Tee a ‘driving force’ behind issues</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-18T07:59:34-07:00">October 18th, 7:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-18T10:44:36-07:00">October 18th, 10:44am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ja Morant has found himself in the news for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-when-grizzlies-really-started-getting-concerned-about-ja-morants-behavior" rel="noopener">all the wrong reasons</a> over the past few months, and his situation spiraled out of control quite quickly. Morant continually committed inappropriate acts that drew the ire of the NBA and eventually netted him a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-ja-morants-25-game-suspension-firm-update-please-memphis-fans" rel="noopener">25-game suspension</a> to start the 2023-24 campaign, and according to folks within the Memphis Grizzlies, they believe that Morant’s father, Tee Morant, is playing a big role in these issues.</p><p>Tee has been a common presence at Grizzlies games while sitting courtside most of the time, and was a big part in Memphis’ near-brawl with Shannon Sharpe during a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. This has led people in the Grizzlies organization to believe that Tee is <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38674600/then-alligators-got-memphis-grizzlies-star-ja-morant-18-month-downfall" rel="noopener">playing a big role</a> in Ja continually making bad decisions, which has made the situation even more interesting for the Grizzlies.</p><p>“Tee moved to Memphis a week after his son was drafted and enjoyed the spoils of his son’s rise to superstardom, hosting VIP events and parties at nightclubs, with television cameras often panning toward him…Tee’s presence, and the spate of incidents, dismayed some in the Grizzlies organization, team sources said…’Tee has been a major driving force in all of this,’ one team source said. ‘He never made the NBA, but this was his chance to live like he’s an NBA superstar. That’s been a problem from the beginning.’ – Baxter Holmes &amp; Tim MacMahon, ESPN</p><h2>The Grizzlies must find a way to control Ja and Tee Morant</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Grizzlies-Ja-Morant-suspension-NBA-Tee-Morant.jpg"></figure><p>The whole Morant situation for the Grizzlies is problematic, and while the hope is that the team can help Ja get back on track, that’s going to be difficult if his father Tee is in fact encouraging him to make poor choices. The whole Morant clan has become a sore sight with the Grizzlies’ facilities, and if the team can’t find a way to control their star player and his entourage, they may have to face a tough decision down the line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Grizzlies believe Ja Morant’s dad Tee a ‘driving force’ behind issues

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-when-grizzlies-really-started-getting-concerned-about-ja-morants-behavior');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: When Grizzlies really started getting concerned about Ja Morant’s behavior');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Grizzlies-Ja-Morant-suspension-NBA-Tee-Morant.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: When Grizzlies really started getting concerned about Ja Morant’s behavior</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-10-18T07:33:35-07:00">October 18th, 7:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-10-18T07:33:35-07:00">October 18th, 7:33am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan loves Arsenal and the Los Angeles Clippers, so his loyalty can never be questioned. This guy has been through enough sports trauma for one lifetime -- so he writes about it instead as a form of therapy. (It hasn't worked though. Someday maybe it will -- especially when he's been working for ClutchPoints since August 2022.)</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ja Morant has been at the forefront of controversies aplenty for the past year. From delinquent behavior in malls to threatening a shoe salesman to intimidating a security guard, and then to brandishing a gun on his Instagram live, the Memphis Grizzlies star has seen his stock fall precipitously. He went from being one of the budding faces of the NBA to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ja-morant-timeline-after-grizzlies-star-flashes-gun-instagram-live" rel="noopener">someone in need of intervention</a>, which the NBA provided when they suspended him for 25 games to begin the 2023-24 season as a consequence for his actions.</p><p>However, this concerning pattern of behavior from Morant didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. In fact, according to Baxter Holmes and Tim McMahon of ESPN, Grizzlies officials began being concerned about Morant, his behavior, and the kind of company he kept in the lead-up to the 2022 All-Star game. During his flight to Cleveland, Morant went live on Instagram and indiscreetly passed around bottles of tequila towards members of his inner circle that were in his private jet, which Grizzlies officials believe <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38674600/then-alligators-got-memphis-grizzlies-star-ja-morant-18-month-downfall" rel="noopener">was a turning point</a> in their franchise cornerstone’s career.</p><p>“It was that weekend, multiple sources in and around the Grizzlies organization said, that some early warning signs became habitual. When concerns around the team and league deepened. And it is when, sources said, Morant’s misconduct accelerated, becoming more frequent and public,” Holmes and McMahon wrote.</p><p>But even before then, the Grizzlies may have overlooked a few warning signs involving Ja Morant and his father, Tee. According to the ESPN article, Morant’s father reportedly would bring out his then-underage son during the 2019-20 season to go out partying in “seedy” establishments in Memphis as well as strip clubs, going out drinking, sometimes even on nights before gamedays.</p><p>This is very concerning behavior, and the Grizzlies must do whatever it takes to get Morant the help he needs to avoid going even further into this pattern of behavior. At the very least, Morant should realize, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-ja-morants-25-game-suspension-firm-update-please-memphis-fans" rel="noopener">amid his 25-game suspension</a>, that his actions do have consequences and that he must get his act together if he were to fashion out a long NBA career for himself.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: When Grizzlies really started getting concerned about Ja Morant’s behavior

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rumor-grizzlies-real-reason-for-parting-ways-with-dillon-brooks-per-insider');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: Grizzlies’ real reason for parting ways with Dillon Brooks, per insider');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Dillon-Brooks-2.png"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Grizzlies’ real reason for parting ways with Dillon Brooks, per insider</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-25T21:16:04-07:00">July 25th, 9:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-25T21:16:04-07:00">July 25th, 9:16pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Memphis Grizzlies finished last season in disappointing fashion, bowing out to the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the playoffs. During the series, the Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks became a lightning rod for controversy.</p><p>He called LeBron James “old” before watching James dismantle his team, then <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-dillon-brooks-breaks-silence-on-lebron-james-comments-after-season-ending-loss-to-lakers">doubled down on “being me”</a> despite the loss and bulletin board material he provided. Brooks was rumored to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-mavs-seriously-mix-dillon-brooks-massive-rockets-contract">bound for the Dallas Mavericks</a> before ending up with the Houston Rockets.</p><p>Now, an NBA insider has revealed the rumored reason why the Grizzlies <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/grizzlies/news/new-player-included-in-grizzlies-dillon-brooks-trade">decided to move on</a> from the talented but controversial former Oregon Duck and defensive stopper.</p><p>“I think the reasons the Grizzlies were ready to move on from him are misunderstood,” said reporter Tim MacMahon on The Lowe Post, hosted by NBA insider Zach Lowe.</p><p>“The nonsense was kind of like at a point where culturally it was time. That was not the primary reason. The primary reason the Grizzlies were trying to replace Dillon Brooks for a full two years, repeatedly going after players that would have replaced him in the trade market, and he probably would have been sent out, was because of the shot selection issue. Dillon did not want to be a fourth or fifth offensive weapon.”</p><p>The Grizzlies were rumored to be in on the possibility of acquiring Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby as well. Ultimately, they chose to move on from Brooks for myriad reasons.</p><p>“Ime Udoka wanted him,” MacMahon added. “He valued him. He’s in Houston a large part because of that. It’s on Ime Udoka to deal with that stuff and get the best version of Dillon Brooks that also creates the best possible scenarios for these young guys to grow.”</p><p>The Rockets received a positive <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-2023-nba-free-agency-grades-every-signing-fred-vanvleet">grade for the Brooks signing</a> along with other offseason moves.</p><p>Meanwhile in Memphis, the Grizzlies franchise will do its best to pick up the pieces after an exhilarating, but ultimately disappointing, season with Brooks and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-nbpa-chief-explains-ja-morant-suspension-excessive-inappropriate">now-suspended Ja Morant</a> steering the ship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Memphis
Grizzlies RUMORS

MEMPHIS

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MemphisGrizzlies RUMORS

MEMPHIS

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Memphis
Grizzlies RUMORS