Grade: B
There’s nothing that exciting about watching other people gamble. The thrill comes from actually gambling, of course. And I’m glad the Grizzlies didn’t gamble.
Anybody who doesn’t get the danger of gambling, of impulsively betting the entire farm for a random, fleeting shot has either never spent a long, lost weekend in Vegas or hasn’t been watching the Timberwolves this season. Or the Nets. Or the Lakers.
I was of two minds: either go real big, blockbuster status (yeah, this basically means Kevin Durant), or believe in the roster and depth you have created and keep things prudent. Trading a health-risk Danny Green for a proven shooter like Luke Kennard was a solid addition to the Grizzlies’ needs, and they didn’t need to go nuts to make simple move.
The question always arises: if you disagree with the team’s trade deadline moves, what reasonable, viable, competitive offer would you have made and for whom?
Frankly, I would have been willing to see a lot go in order to snag Durant, but I didn’t want to see the Grizzlies dismantle what they have organically, eloquently built just to see what happens if we toss OG Anunoby into the rotation for the second half of a season. At least we didn’t T-Wolve it: significantly augment the Lakers while getting a rather old Mike Conley when you could have gotten Bones Hyland, who has huge ceiling and long future, as your pure point guard for much less.
I reserve “A” grades for amazing work, but I also reward intelligent prudence. The Grizz get a B. And maybe this means Dillon Brooks can focus even more on defense now and hand over those tough shots to Kennard. And maybe that’s all we need.
