The Toronto Raptors trade offer of Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol did not appeal to the Memphis Grizzlies, lacking the youth they expected in return.
According to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated, the Grizzlies wanted a player like OG Anunoby in return to make the trade happen — a reasonable request, given that the team is bound to start a rebuild and will need young legs to do so.
A point guard-and-center swap does little for Memphis, who would just welcome two teammates to a new scenery without accelerating their rebuild or getting much younger, as Lowry is 32 years old and Valanciunas 26.
Lowry has been made aware of Toronto’s negotiations involving him, but there won't be a trade between these two teams unless the Grizzlies can envision some youth coming their way in this deal.
Anunoby is an athletic body with the ability to develop into a starter over time. While his playing time has remained steady during his first two years in the league, his opportunity has taken a dive under a more starter-centric lineup under Nick Nurse that features guys like Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet and Valanciunas off the bench.
The latter's value has dipped as well, given that he's gone from starter to bench cog in favor of a rangier Serge Ibaka. Valanciunas has missed 25 straight games with a thumb injury.
If the two sides want to make a deal work, including Anunoby is a must to at least get the ball rolling.
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