Kevin Durant is one of the most unstoppable offensive forces to ever step onto a basketball court. When the first domino of Kyrie Irving fell, there is a decent chance every title contender's front office spitballed their best possible trade offer. Even if they did not actually pick up the phone.

The Memphis Grizzlies did pick up the phone and gave it their best, or at least most practical shot at the two-time NBA Finals MVP, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. The core trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were untouchable, but the Grizzlies did offer up all of their existing draft picks.

As evident by Thursday's busy deadline, and the days that preceded it, the value of draft picks is as high as ever. Still, it is understandable that future assets alone would not be enough to secure a generational talent like Durant. Lowe said Memphis had been in talks with the Brooklyn Nets since July, but it is clear that not much headway was ever made. Durant was always the Suns to lose.

Obviously, the Nets were salivating at the four first-rounders Phoenix ultimately gave them, but Mikal Bridges is what brought the deal home. The 3-and-D wing is averaging a career-high 17. 2 points per game and is shooting over 38 percent from downtown. He will be an integral part of Brooklyn's rebuild. The Grizzlies put themselves out of the running by not offering up a young talent of similar value. And who could blame them?

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They were never going to be desperate enough to part with a top commodity. A downslide in late-January that has spilled into early-February probably makes the front office antsy, but Memphis is still in second place in the West and only four games behind the Denver Nuggets. The conference still feels like a free-for-all even with Durant joining Devin Booker and Chris Paul in the desert.

Besides, the team did make a smaller move by adding perimeter shooting with Luke Kennard (44.7 percent). They possess the chemistry, talent, and now have some more depth. The Grizzlies might not need Kevin Durant.

They might just need the motivation of everyone telling them that they do.