Grizzlies urged to swap Marcus Smart for former champion, floor spacing center

The Memphis Grizzlies are in need of a new big man to serve as their primary pivot alongside star Jaren Jackson Jr. down in the frontcourt.

Though Trip proved to have some success while manning the middle this past season, from the numbers to the eye test it’s quite evident that the 24-year-old is best suited to stay put at power forward, and GM Zach Kleiman has publicly acknowledged this offseason that the team believes to be at their best when they have a “more traditional and true big” within their arsenal.

Because of this, the search for the successor to Steven Adams at center carries on, and, in the eyes of NBA analyst Jake Weinbach, Brook Lopez could prove to be a logical target for the franchise to pursue before the start of 2024-25.

Based on recent rumblings, it is widely believed that the Milwaukee Bucks could ponder the idea of parting ways with their stud big man, with The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reporting that the team desires “to play a more versatile style of defense next season,” which, in turn, could lead to them shopping the veteran.

With the hypothetical of Lopez possibly being placed on the block, Weinbach broached the subject of the Grizzlies entering into the race for his services and even discussed the idea of a swap of him and Marcus Smart.

Brook Lopez should command heavy interest around the league but the Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Magic come to mind first as potential suitors.

Memphis would be interesting since acquiring a center is on their offseason to-do list and the Bucks have admiration for Marcus Smart. https://t.co/bv1yLo3mJJ

— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) June 20, 2024

Interestingly enough, this is far from the first time both of these players have been linked to each of these teams, with the folks at Locked on Grizzlies proposing this exact same exchange last month to land Lopez while Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz recently went as far as to label the Grizzlies guard as a “dream” offseason target for the Bucks.

BROOK LOPEZ DOUBLE BLOCK ❌❌

🏀 Pacers/Bucks on ESPN
🏆 Winner advances to Championship in Las Vegas on Saturday pic.twitter.com/ZzP7eFK0aI

— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2023

For Memphis, this proposed transaction would provide them with a towering 7-foot-1, 282-pound center who provides sound scoring skills (16.1 points per game for his career), floor-spacing abilities (shoots roughly 35 percent from deep), and All-Defensive efforts all while boasting an established championship pedigree, as he won a title with the Bucks back in 2021.

For Milwaukee, they would be bringing on a legitimate menace on the less glamorous side of the ball and an experienced postseason contributor in Smart who would provides Defensive Player of the Year-winning efforts, facilitation skills, and veteran leadership — in other words, a very similar presence to their former guard, Jrue Holiday.

Though there’s currently no real evidence that the Grizzlies are even open to the idea of parting ways with Smart after just one season, should the opportunity arise where the could fetch a player of Lopez’s ilk for the 30-year-old, Kleiman and co. must strongly consider doing so.

Source link : https://bealestreetbears.com/posts/memphis-grizzlies-urged-trade-marcus-smart-brook-lopez-bucks-rumors

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Publish date : 2024-06-21 15:01:53

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