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https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2018-nba-draft-trade-rumors-grizzlies-testing-market-for-chandler-parsons-no-4-pick/

The Memphis Grizzlies find themselves in an unfamiliar spot this June: The NBA Draft lottery. But apparently they're not dead set on staying there.

After making the playoffs for seven straight seasons, the Grizz fell on hard times this year as the Grit 'N Grind era officially came to a close. A season-ending injury to Mike Conley left Memphis in a losing spiral, and it ended up with a 22-60 record, which earned the franchise the No. 4 pick in the draft. However, leading up to next Thursday, Memphis is exploring trade options for that pick, provided that the other team is willing to take on Chandler Parsons' contract. Via The Athletic's Michael Scotto:

The Memphis Grizzlies have gauged the trade market on a package of Chandler Parsons and the No. 4 overall pick, league sources told The Athletic.

Parsons, who has missed 94 combined games over the past two seasons, is owed $49.2 million guaranteed over the next two seasons.

Not that we've been connected in any way to this deal, but it's fun to at least consider.

Granted, Parsons has (arguably) the worst contract in the NBA currently (and possibly ever), but would you be willing to take on Parsons' max deal (2 years, ~50 million left) in combination with the 4th overall pick for some asset in return? Apparently, the Grizzlies aren't tanking next year because Boston has their pick and they think they can make the playoffs with Conley back.

Doncic would be a no brainer for us if he's available at 4. Bamba could be the next Giannis in terms of a generational player due to his athleticism and physical tools. I don't want anything to do with Bagley, but JJJ is interesting and Michael Porter Jr. is a huge contender to be taken at that spot if our medical staff clears him.

There is not a player in this draft that I would take on Parsons' contract for. Whoever gave him that contract should be sued for malpractice. He has never been that good. Not even close. Actually, I think the same can be said of the contracts for Conley and Gasol. What has Memphis gotten in return for their crazy spending? Not much at all.

I'd do it for Doncic. maybe Jackson.

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I'd do it for sure, but the thread on the general board implies they're trying to get an asset rather than just getting rid of Parson's salary so I don't think we'd be in the running. Getting a high pick just for eating some money is a no brainer if all we had to send out was Jefferson and Joseph plus Poythress (just to make the money match...Al + Cory falls just a bit short). Swap Leaf for Poythress or add in the #23 this year and I'd probably still do it. Going after high end talent in the draft is probably the best way to get better for a small market team. A year from now, he's an expiring that can be used in another potential deal.

Also, the original reporter on The Athletic is a Memphis writer with a very poor track record of "personnel reports".

granger05 wrote:I'd do it for sure, but the thread on the general board implies they're trying to get an asset rather than just getting rid of Parson's salary so I don't think we'd be in the running. Getting a high pick just for eating some money is a no brainer if all we had to send out was Jefferson and Joseph plus Poythress (just to make the money match...Al + Cory falls just a bit short). Swap Leaf for Poythress or add in the #23 this year and I'd probably still do it. Going after high end talent in the draft is probably the best way to get better for a small market team. A year from now, he's an expiring that can be used in another potential deal.

I could be easily talked into taking on Parsons to get the #4. If he's even just relatively healthy, he helps us at one of our weakest spots, the 3, and the #4 would be the long-term answer there.

But, remember, right now, we're on pace to easily have OVER $60m in cap space next offseason. So, Parson's contract would not really be helpful in that regard. Teams almost always prefer pure cap space in a deal over a large expiring.

So we get a player on a big contract who averaged 44 games in his last 3 seasons and a player who will need at least 3 more seasons to figure out NBA players bulk up in the offseasons?

Easy no for me. We want to contend next season and not wait for the next Lebron to pop up in the East.

I'd give Al, Bogie, and Leaf for Parsons and #4 Maybe add the #23. The cut Bogie and Al. After July 1st we could resign Bogie due to they new season.

Wow are you kidding me, if this sort of deal is made available Pacers should grab it and run

I'd be quite happy to offer Bogie + some combination of Leaf/#23/2019 1rp for Parsons + #4

Yes Parsons' contract is horrible, but #4 has a shot at Doncic or Bamba, both of whom I feel are franchise changing players

And ultimately, that is what cap space is for, acquiring talent

Parsons can sit on the bench and pick his nose every game for all I care, but potentially adding someone like Doncic or Bamba to an already solid core of Myles/Domas/Vic is franchise changing

I would do it right away!

Parsons contract will be up when Myles Turner needs his extension, so that timing is perfect. I could care less about Parsons, but we have to room to take his contract so I'd do it right away.

Pacers would be set for the next 10 years with Vic, Domas, Turner and Doncic/Mamba or whoever. All 4 of them will hit their primes in the same time, and if we can manage the Salary Cap, we might be able to keep at least 3 of them together long term.

We're not gonna win a championship next season, and I believe, that even if we have to give up Bogie and maybe another rotation player, we can still make the playoffs next year just with each player improving over the summer.

Problem for me is... who would we take at #4? Doncic’s defense isn’t good at all, and he’d have to be surrounded by four other defensive capable players. I’m not sold on his athleticism either. If we draft a big, that guy would have to fit with Turner or Sabonis perfectly and you’d have to trade the other. Can’t have three Centers in the rotation. Jaren Jackson could fit, but I’m not that high on him like many others. I think I’ve just been following these players for so long now that it’s so easy to nitpick at their weaknesses.


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Memphis must be discounting Jackson and Doncic. Like us they don't need a center but like us they'd want the pick if they liked the other top choices.

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The last time we had a draft pick that high was the #2 overall pick in 1988, when we drafted Rik Smits. Y'all, I was three months old.

Parsons' contract is heinous, and you can't count on him playing at all. We're looking at having a boatload of cap space in the summer of 2019, and Parsons would obviously eat into that quite a bit.

But you'd also have a top-4 draft pick on a rookie scale deal to go along with Vic and Myles/Domas. I think you do this every time.

Bogey, Thad, DC, CoJo, and Big Al all had strong seasons and played important roles for us this past season. But none of these guys were necessarily the long-term solution in their positions. Cory Joseph is the only one who I'd really say could be long-term as a high level backup PG. But all of these guys came into this season as replacement level options. If you can use some combination of them, plus the #23 pick and/or TJ Leaf, Ike, Sumner, Poythress, etc to land the #4 overall pick, it's an absolute win.

Tom White wrote:There is not a player in this draft that I would take on Parsons' contract for. Whoever gave him that contract should be sued for malpractice. He has never been that good. Not even close. Actually, I think the same can be said of the contracts for Conley and Gasol. What has Memphis gotten in return for their crazy spending? Not much at all.

For a top 4 pick? I'd do that trade all day, every day. Cap space means nothing when you're the Indiana Pacers. #4 could mean a franchise caliber player though.

Unfortunately, no way the Grizzles are trading down to #23.

xxSnEaKyPxx wrote:

Tom White wrote:There is not a player in this draft that I would take on Parsons' contract for. Whoever gave him that contract should be sued for malpractice. He has never been that good. Not even close. Actually, I think the same can be said of the contracts for Conley and Gasol. What has Memphis gotten in return for their crazy spending? Not much at all.

For a top 4 pick? I'd do that trade all day, every day. Cap space means nothing when you're the Indiana Pacers. #4 could mean a franchise caliber player though.

Look, I get what you guys are saying. I really do. It is just that I also know how people fall in love with draft picks at this time of year.
We read the write-ups on draft sites and our eyes get as big as saucers. Then the draft happens and down the road we see (once again) that only a couple or three of the top picks live up to the hype. Most years, an equal amount of success can be had later in the draft.

Do you see any Jordans or LeBrons or Magics in this draft? I don't. What I see is a number of players who will probably have good long careers in the league, but not future superstars and not to the level of costing the franchise $50M over the next two years and reducing the team's flexibility to make possibly better deals in the meantime.

I would much rather do a deal like the one proposed in another thread, where we would get Denver's #14 and Faried for whatever.

If Luka is available at 4, i'd trade everybody not named dipo for that pick. Otherwise we should search for another trade..

Tom White wrote:

xxSnEaKyPxx wrote:

Tom White wrote:There is not a player in this draft that I would take on Parsons' contract for. Whoever gave him that contract should be sued for malpractice. He has never been that good. Not even close. Actually, I think the same can be said of the contracts for Conley and Gasol. What has Memphis gotten in return for their crazy spending? Not much at all.

For a top 4 pick? I'd do that trade all day, every day. Cap space means nothing when you're the Indiana Pacers. #4 could mean a franchise caliber player though.

Look, I get what you guys are saying. I really do. It is just that I also know how people fall in love with draft picks at this time of year.
We read the write-ups on draft sites and our eyes get as big as saucers. Then the draft happens and down the road we see (once again) that only a couple or three of the top picks live up to the hype. Most years, an equal amount of success can be had later in the draft.

Do you see any Jordans or LeBrons or Magics in this draft? I don't. What I see is a number of players who will probably have good long careers in the league, but not future superstars and not to the level of costing the franchise $50M over the next two years and reducing the team's flexibility to make possibly better deals in the meantime.

I would much rather do a deal like the one proposed in another thread, where we would get Denver's #14 and Faried for whatever.

Honestly, your argument makes a bit more sense to me if you were to argue that we should trade out of the draft every year and simply use cap every year. I just disagree. I think this team isn't enough of a cap space team to attract what we need, and that if we could trade up into the top 2, and get a top tier talent in this draft, then we should do it. And if we don't trust our front office to identify and decipher whom in this draft is a top two talent, then they should be fired, and we should have bigger worries on our plate.

I get that the larger salary and 2nd year worry you. It doesn't worry me as much for this reason, I think that Chandler Parsons still presents enough of a skillset to use, that he would play more minutes either of the next two years than Kenneth Faried would be able to play. Faried is such a one dimensional player he just can't really be used in the current NBA anymore than situational rebounder minutes.

Tom White wrote:

xxSnEaKyPxx wrote:

Tom White wrote:There is not a player in this draft that I would take on Parsons' contract for. Whoever gave him that contract should be sued for malpractice. He has never been that good. Not even close. Actually, I think the same can be said of the contracts for Conley and Gasol. What has Memphis gotten in return for their crazy spending? Not much at all.

For a top 4 pick? I'd do that trade all day, every day. Cap space means nothing when you're the Indiana Pacers. #4 could mean a franchise caliber player though.

Look, I get what you guys are saying. I really do. It is just that I also know how people fall in love with draft picks at this time of year.
We read the write-ups on draft sites and our eyes get as big as saucers. Then the draft happens and down the road we see (once again) that only a couple or three of the top picks live up to the hype. Most years, an equal amount of success can be had later in the draft.

Do you see any Jordans or LeBrons or Magics in this draft? I don't. What I see is a number of players who will probably have good long careers in the league, but not future superstars and not to the level of costing the franchise $50M over the next two years and reducing the team's flexibility to make possibly better deals in the meantime.

I would much rather do a deal like the one proposed in another thread, where we would get Denver's #14 and Faried for whatever.

I see a lot of guys up top who have a ton of potential. Some won't pan out, as you said, it happens, but being too afraid to take that chance is just silly. There could be a franchise player there and we should say no because capspace?

You say the draft is over hyped, but what about capspace? When have we ever signed a player better than Danny Granger, Reggie Miller, Paul George, etc?

Nearly every single championship team over the last 30 years has had a top 5 pick on their roster....and we should say no to one because of capspace?

That is just mind boggling to me. But to each their own I guess.

To me, its like having the option to pay $5 for a lottery ticket with 50% chance to win, and instead choosing to pay $2 on a ticket that can redeem $20 because its cheaper.

Small market team. You definately eat cap space to get a top 5 pick.

Lukewarm on the idea. Maybe neutral.

IMO, if there's a team that could possibly do this trade with Memphis for the 4th, or for the Dallas' 5th pick, it could be Phoenix so they can get both Ayton / Doncic. They have some valuable assets they can send in return - TJ Warren, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, maybe a sign and trade for Payton, maybe even Josh Jackson.

I just think we don't have that much to offer that would entice Memphis or Dallas, except for maybe one of our bigs in Myles and Sabonis plus some serviceable vets.