Memphis would welcome more defense and 3-point shooting on the wing.
Memphis has one of the deepest teams in the NBA, coming into Sunday tied for the most bench points per game in the league at 50.7 — but every team could use more shooting. And defense.
Which is why the Grizzlies are in “active discussions” with the Brooklyn Nets about a Dorian Finney-Smith trade, something Marc Stein first reported last week and updated in his newsletter on Saturday.
The core of the proposed trade would send promising young wing John Konchar as well as veteran sharpshooter Luke Kennard from Memphis to Brooklyn, Stein reports, but things are more complicated than that. For one, Kennard has a no-trade clause (because he is on a one-year, $9.25 million contract and would lose his Bird rights with a trade) and would he approve a move from the No. 2 team in the West to a rebuilding Nets squad that may not want to re-sign him after the season? Second, there will be picks moved as well, with reports that the Nets want a first-round pick, and the Grizzlies would want a second coming their way. Then, there are protections for those picks to hammer out.
Those are not hurdles too big to overcome for motivated teams, but how motivated they are this far out from the Feb. 6 deadline is up for debate. Also, there have been trades that fell apart over less. This deal may be gaining momentum, but it is a long way from happening.
Finney-Smith is averaging 10.4 points a game, shooting 43.5% from 3-point range this season, and would be plug-and-play with the Grizzlies. If this deal can come to fruition.
