(Thread has been bumped) SHAMS: Grizzlies Trading Valunciunas + Nos. 17 & 51 Picks to NOLA for Adams, Bledsoe, Draft Pix

[Hornet Mania]

With mock drafts varying wildly I wonder, how confident the Grizz can really be that they'll get their man? They must feel relatively certain to pull the trigger on this, or have multiple acceptable draft targets.

[AussieCeltic]

I don’t like this for Memphis right now but I assume or hope that they have other deals planned.

Also I don’t like the fit of Giddey who they’re rumoured to be after in the draft. As an Australian who has watched all his games, he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He’s a mix of Lamelo and a very poor mans Luka. Taking the ball out of Ja’s hands sounds like a bad idea.

[The_Hater]

So after trading Holiday for Bledose and some picks, they had to turn around and use one of those picks to dump Bledsoe?

Pretty much. But they definitely weren’t expecting Bledsoe to be that awful either. They figured they’d have a positive asset at some point.

Considering everything else that happened here, it still looks like a good trade for NOP.

[NO-KG-AI]

one of the main complaints about fit was Steven clogging paint for Zion JV more of a spacer now?

Yea but… everyone saying that were wrong. The Pelicans didn’t have issues offensively with Adams and Zion offensively. The Pelicans were +5.3 with Adams on the floor. Jonas is certainly a much better shooter than Adams and overall a better offensive player, but we had no problem generating looks to the guards. We just didn’t have a ton of shooting from our perimeter players to capitalize. Zion is going to abuse the paint, doesn’t matter who is down there.

Defensively Adams was a big issue. I think some of it was due to injuries, and overall the motivation to play good D seemed low. He should bounce back next year, but I can’t see Jonas being a falloff defensively and on the glass compared to Adams last year, and he’s a huge improvement on the other end.

Hopefully he is on the phone with his Raptor buddy to make another run together

Sure but the offensive on off doesn’t really tell the whole story because it was either Willy who also doesn’t spread the floor, or Hayes who has no offensive skills outside of putbacks. Zion has yet to play with a big that can stretch the floor. Ingram had the 2nd worst spacing in the NBA for all 20 ppg scorers. They should actually try putting spacing around Zion, not just more low post scorers.

And I wouldn’t count on JV having a better impact defensively than Adams. He doesn’t have better awareness or better mobility than Adams.

He definitely has better mobility than Adams had last year. We’ll see if that was something else going on and he can get back to his OKC defense or if that is permanent, but Adams seemed to get worse and worse as the year went on in terms of footspeed.

I think having Bledsoe as the 2 and everyone going under screens to let Lonzo shoot was a much worse issue. Bledsoe wasn’t hitting shots, but he also just doesn’t play like a 2 guard or create off the ball. That and we really had no shooting coming off the bench as well. I’d worry about addressing all that before trying to size down in the front court to get even more

Jonas isn’t a dominant shooter, but he’s not someone you can leave open. I think we need to hope we can get some shooting wings. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe all of our young guys are going to get incrementally better at the least and hope someone makes a big jump. I think people are forgetting this is a team that lost a lot of close games with dumb rookie team mistakes, and that they were about a dead even team in terms of point differential. Even small increases all over, assuming no one takes a big jump, is going to do a lot for the win column.

I think if we can sign Lowry outright and get some value back for Lonzo in a sign and trade, I’d be super thrilled. I think Lowry is the perfect fit at the 1 for a year or two.

[Capn'O]

Read on Twitter

It's fine. He didn't want to be there.

[bwgood77]

I kind of like it for Memphis. They get better draft picks, and Bledsoe, while not having a great contract, is a pretty good get when they are probably not much of a FA destination. Though I do like JV better than Adams.

[clyde21]

yall don't understand this from Memphis perspective, JV was useless for them, it was time to give the 5 hole to JJJ anyways, and they have Tillman rook from last year as well...Adams is just filler/bench mob guy at this point for them

the guy they will get @ 10 we're talking in the Jalen Johnson or Jonathan Kuminga category vs. the guy they could've gotten @ 17, and you're adding next year's Lakers pick on top of it.

JV was low key the grizz's most important player.

most important player in what? barely eeking out an 8th seed? who cares. they need to hand the keys in the front court to JJJ, Clarke and Tillman...JV is not in their long term plans.

[NO-KG-AI]

I honestly like it a lot if Memphis is taking Sengun. I think he could be a star. He’s a guy that I wanted thr Pels to gtarget because he’s so good, even though he’s not the purest fit here and would draw the cries and whines of the board GMs that don’t watch the Pels but know what we need.

[JXL]

Mini Lebron to LA to join his father the King. What a story that will be.

[sca]

yall don't understand this from Memphis perspective, JV was useless for them, it was time to give the 5 hole to JJJ anyways, and they have Tillman rook from last year as well...Adams is just filler/bench mob guy at this point for them

the guy they will get @ 10 we're talking in the Jalen Johnson or Jonathan Kuminga category vs. the guy they could've gotten @ 17, and you're adding next year's Lakers pick on top of it.

They’re almost certainly a lottery team next year without JV. It only takes a few years of missing the play-offs for the young cores to start having chemistry issues. Then someone will get fired, be it the GM or the coach. I just don’t see the upside for them.

[John Murdoch]

I honestly like it a lot if Memphis is taking Sengun. I think he could be a star. He’s a guy that I wanted thr Pels to gtarget because he’s so good, even though he’s not the purest fit here and would draw the cries and whines of the board GMs that don’t watch the Pels but know what we need.

Yeah the 3 other guys that post on that board will be pissed

[bon]

yall don't understand this from Memphis perspective, JV was useless for them, it was time to give the 5 hole to JJJ anyways, and they have Tillman rook from last year as well...Adams is just filler/bench mob guy at this point for them

the guy they will get @ 10 we're talking in the Jalen Johnson or Jonathan Kuminga category vs. the guy they could've gotten @ 17, and you're adding next year's Lakers pick on top of it.

They’re almost certainly a lottery team next year without JV. It only takes a few years of missing the play-offs for the young cores to start having chemistry issues. Then someone will get fired, be it the GM or the coach. I just don’t see the upside for them.

JV is good but he's not going to be the difference between them making and missing the playoffs.

[VCfor3]

yall don't understand this from Memphis perspective, JV was useless for them, it was time to give the 5 hole to JJJ anyways, and they have Tillman rook from last year as well...Adams is just filler/bench mob guy at this point for them

the guy they will get @ 10 we're talking in the Jalen Johnson or Jonathan Kuminga category vs. the guy they could've gotten @ 17, and you're adding next year's Lakers pick on top of it.

They’re almost certainly a lottery team next year without JV. It only takes a few years of missing the play-offs for the young cores to start having chemistry issues. Then someone will get fired, be it the GM or the coach. I just don’t see the upside for them.

Maybe they are just stepping back for one year and then go hard for win now mode? I trust the FO and think that we are still in a rebuild even after sneaking into the playoffs last year, but I also agree that you have to keep the young guys happy, engaged, and moving forward. Gotta keep the winning culture or things can go downhill in a hurry.

[clyde21]

yall don't understand this from Memphis perspective, JV was useless for them, it was time to give the 5 hole to JJJ anyways, and they have Tillman rook from last year as well...Adams is just filler/bench mob guy at this point for them

the guy they will get @ 10 we're talking in the Jalen Johnson or Jonathan Kuminga category vs. the guy they could've gotten @ 17, and you're adding next year's Lakers pick on top of it.

They’re almost certainly a lottery team next year without JV. It only takes a few years of missing the play-offs for the young cores to start having chemistry issues. Then someone will get fired, be it the GM or the coach. I just don’t see the upside for them.

i disagree, I think Jaren Jackson if healthy is ready to explode on the scene, and they need to give him as many mins as possible, and Tillman was one of the best rookies in the NBA last year, they also got Clarke and have picked up an extra first rounder on top of moving up 7 slots in this class.

and they barely made the POs even with JV, so who the hell cares. JV is not in their long term plans and really shouldn't be at this point.

[liquidswords]

To those saying Memphis is doing this to target someone....there is way too much volatility with this year's draft positioning. There's no way they can predict that "their guy" is going to be there at 10. If they made this deal on draft night that could have stuck. MEM must have additional deals in the works for Bledsoe and/or Adams.

[rapstarter]

Lowry/Hart/Ingram/Zion/JV is a very solid lineup

[MINDKCUF]

pelicans got a great deal. the best player in the trade and over $20mil in cap relief for 21/22 and $36 mil in 22/23

all just to drop 7 spot in 1st rd.
2nd rd drop doesnt mean much.

[510TWSS]

makes sense for the Pels as they wanna gun for Lowry. This helps them get there.

Little more confusing for Memphis, although seems like they like someone to jump 7 spots. They must've felt like the drop off in what they got from Jonas to Adams/Bledsoe isn't that much.

I haven't paid attention to Adams in a few years, but next to a healthy JJJ can't be a terrible fit. Plus the added benefit of getting the player they love at #10

[Marvin Martian]

Awful deal for MEM. JJJ hasn't played well since his injury and JV is entering his prime. Why gamble your entire future on a guy that may never be ready to play winning basketball?

[Mob Byers]

Not bad for both sides