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The Memphis Grizzlies have all the makings of a contending team. Even those who hate the team can admit that the Grizzlies not only have the ability to challenge for a championship this year, they also have as bright a future as any other team in the NBA. Through shrewd drafting, the Grizzlies were able to build a core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. – a trio that would keep them competitive for as long as they stay healthy.
Choosing whether or not to go all in remains one of the most confounding questions for any NBA franchise. It simply may be a question that doesn't have a right or wrong answer. The Oklahoma City Thunder in the early 2010s loom as a cautionary tale for the pitfalls of resting on one's laurels.
As for the Grizzlies, the performance of their current core should have earned the benefit of the doubt that they're worth risking for, especially given how young they are. Thus, it would have been great to see them risk it for the biscuit – throw caution to the wind by dealing away whichever asset they could to expedite their current contending timeline.
Alas, they only managed to swing a trade for a minor upgrade in Luke Kennard. Kennard should feast on his preferred wide-open catch and shoot looks with the attention Ja Morant draws. Nevertheless, it's difficult not to think that the Grizzlies left something on the table following a busy NBA trade deadline where other contending teams in the Western Conference took major swings to bolster their title hopes.
Here's the biggest mistake the Grizzlies made at the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
Grizzlies 2023 NBA trade deadline mistake: Fail to trade for OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges
It's not so much a mistake for the Grizzlies to come up short in the OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges sweepstakes as it is a missed opportunity for them to tighten up their perimeter defense even further. Dillon Brooks is a terrific on-ball defender, but with the way things have been looking for him on the offensive end, he's not an indispensable piece by any means.
It would have taken a lot of assets for the Toronto Raptors or Brooklyn Nets to even consider dealing away Anunoby or Bridges, respectively. Both are in the running for the current best perimeter defender in the NBA, and both fit seamlessly on every team with even an inkling of championship hope.
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby have both shown that they aren't just your run of the mill 3 and D forwards. Both can contribute off the bounce, so it's not like they're completely reliant on their teammates for their offensive production. Bridges, in particular, showed during his run as one of the Suns' de facto primary scoring options that he's capable of stepping up his scoring. He even ran some of the plays the Suns had designed for Devin Booker.
You can never go wrong with adding either player. For a team looking to bolster their defense first and foremost, Anunoby is the better option. As NBA University pointed out on Twitter, Anunoby is in a class of his own defensively, taking on the toughest matchup on the opposing team on a nightly basis without suffering a drop-off. Meanwhile, Bridges is the more well-rounded option, and his contract runs until 2026, proving any team that would get him some security for the future.
It's no surprise that the Raptors and Nets refused to trade them, however. Try as the Grizzlies might, their first-round picks aren't too enticing to prospective trade partners, given how well positioned they are to compete for the foreseeable future.
It wouldn't be a major shock if the Grizzlies turn out to be the team that offered four first-rounders for Mikal Bridges. Alas, the Nets want to remain competitive given their draft pick debt to the Houston Rockets. Remaining competitive will be an easier task with Bridges around.
But with the Western Conference having gotten tougher following the Dallas Mavericks' trade for Kyrie Irving and the Phoenix Suns' move for Kevin Durant, the Grizzlies would have done very well by keeping up with the arms race. Bridges or Anunoby would have given the Grizzlies a primary weapon to throw against the toughest perimeter scorers imaginable. Dillon Brooks would then shift over to the second-toughest matchup, while Jaren Jackson Jr. remains the sheriff in one of the toughest paints to score in around the entire league.
Now, the Grizzlies have Luke Kennard, who definitely has a place in their rotation, but whose playoff viability remains very much up in the air. There's a reason the Clippers remained hesitant to play Kennard heavy minutes during their 2021 playoff run.
At the end of the day, however, the Grizzlies front office has definitely earned the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they revisit these trade opportunities during the offseason.
