By Adam Kerr
Ja Set to Return
It’s no secret that the Grizzlies have been terrible without their superstar point guard Ja Morant missing. Between trading for Marcus Smart and already having one of the strongest rosters in the West in 2022, it seemed like they could hold their own and make a run for the playoffs when Morant returns to the court. However, that has been anything but the case as they sit at 14th in the Western Conference.
Now, most media outlets are giving them less than a one percent chance to make the playoffs, even before Morant has touched the floor. With Ja returning to the court on December 19, they face a tough question: Let this year go down the drain and go for one of the top talents in the draft, or keep pushing with the revamped squad and hopefully make a 2023 Lakers-esque playoff run.
They could be as bad as 6-19 when Ja comes back depending on how the next games play out. Even when he does make his debut, they still won’t be at full strength. Marcus Smart may be out for another week or so. Steven Adams is out for the year after knee surgery. Brandon Clarke is out indefinitely as he recovers from his Achilles injury.
They cut ties with Dillon Brooks in hopes of fixing the culture, but they didn’t realistically get anyone at the wing to replace him. There is a chance that Marcus Smart can bring the energy along with Ja if they get hot, but getting hot may prove to be a problem in itself. Their roster is in such a tough situation this season that a playoff push may not be too likely. However, there are some things they could do to change it.
First off, there are many notable players in trade rumors. Guys like Zach LaVine and Pascal Siakam come to mind, but there is no reason for Memphis to make a call on guys like that. Who they should go after are some of the many wings on the market. First off, there’s OG Anunoby in Toronto. Anunoby would greatly fill the defensive presence Dillon Brooks had and then some.
There’s also Kyle Kuzma, who is a great two-way option to provide Memphis with an extra scoring option and a defender. For slightly less of a haul, they could land Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan, a pure bucket-getter to add to Coach Jenkins’ squad. Someone else who they should at least call about is Lauri Markkanen, who is rumored to not be untouchable by this deadline. Lastly, Jerami Grant would be a great fit, but his contract is so absurd that they cannot possibly give a reasonable package to match salaries.
When it comes to filling in the hole at the five, they could try to revive John Collins’ career, as long as they are okay with taking in the salary of the Utah big. They likely won’t make a move this big, however, so Grizzlies fans will have to hope what they currently have is enough to make noise once the 2-time All-Star returns to the court.
