In light of the shocking Desmond Bane trade, Stephen A. Smith shredded the Memphis Grizzlies' inability to attract and retain star players in free agency. However, Smith's criticism was aimed at local law enforcement, not the franchise.

Smith held nothing back in his criticism of the city's safety, claiming NBA stars told him they consider that in their decisions. Smith sent a warning directly to the Memphis Police Department, telling the city to “clean it up” to make the area more attractive for athletes to live in.

“The people in Memphis, it's a great sports town, great fans, great people,” Smith said on ‘First Take.' “But there's an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don't feel it's the safest environment. I'm talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You gotta clean some of that stuff up because it's dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They told me.”

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Despite being a premier team in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies have struggled to attract other stars in free agency. Memphis' top two players, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., are homegrown talent. The team has no big-name free agent signing on its roster, with Marvin Bagley III's $12 million deal the highest of any player not drafted into the organization.

Historically, the Grizzlies have always struggled to fight for the biggest fish in the free agency market. It is a struggle to pinpoint the biggest signing in team history, with the argument coming down to a 37-year-old Vince Carter, Chandler Parsons or Tony Allen. Instead, the biggest deals in franchise history have all been extensions.

After dealing Bane, the Grizzlies have a lot of cap space to work with in the 2025 offseason. Memphis will likely aim to re-sign Santi Aldama, but only three players are currently owed more than $10 million in 2025-2026.