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The Memphis Grizzlies and the Boston Celtics have been two of the most active teams this offseason, both making big trades that will swing the direction of their franchises.
The Grizzlies got things started, responding to a first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder by trading star scorer Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. Shortly after that, the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in separate deals as they try to avoid second-apron penalties.
As it turns out, the Celtics and the Grizzlies were trying to make another trade with one another, but it fell through as Boston fell out of the Damian Lillard sweepstakes according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
“On the third day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the latest chatter and intel about the Celtics linked them to a potential trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources said. In the midst of scrambling for details, it became clear that these talks were around before Summer League, and nothing ever materialized.
“Boston had been seeking potential paths to free up extra money given their ties to Damian Lillard. When it became clear that the Celtics were out of the running for Lillard, the organization backed off on trade talks with Memphis, sources said.”
A deal between the Celtics and the Grizzlies surely would not have been as consequential as the deals that the two teams made separately earlier in the offseason, but it still would have been fascinating to see the two sides continue to shuffle the pieces around.
The Grizzlies shook things up this offseason as it became clear to them that they would not be able to compete in the Western Conference with the core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bane. Moving off of one of them was the only way for Memphis to pivot, and Bane ended up being the odd man out.
For the Celtics, they are clearly looking ahead to the 2026-27 season already as Jayson Tatum recovers from his torn Achilles that will keep him out for the entire 2025-26 season. While both teams have already made big moves this offseason, talks like these are indicators that more may be around the corner.
