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

[Up-And-Coming]

Alot of people forget that Jonas is one of the worst defenders in NBA especially with JA.

That's why I don't understand the fit w/ Zion and the Pels. They were near the bottom in defense last season and Jonas probably makes them worse in that department.

[BostonCouchGM]

Two likely lottery picks? How? Yes, they got #10. But you think the Lakers are in the lottery next year? And even if they are the pick is top 10 protected that becomes two 2nd rounders if it doesn't convey. So you're telling us the Laker pick will definitely be number 11, 12, 13 or 14 next year. Oddly specific for sure.

If they have the same injury luck, it's not crazy. The post ASB Lakers were about that level of play. Who knows if Street Clothes and Old Man Bron can do it again.

It's a 4 in 30 chance. Or 13.3%. Sure, it's possible they JUST miss the playoffs and end up there. I think if you have a catastrophic AD or Lebron injury you're probably in the top 10 which the Pelicans would keep and Memphis would get 2 second rounders. If you don't have that, which we are all expecting, you're clearly picking in the 20's.

Well, that's my prediction anyway, that they win 37-41 games and the pick falls between 11-14. I don't think this trade really helps NOP on the court all that much and they'd still need to figure out the PG situation so anyone expecting them to be playoff locks is being too optimistic. Besides the playoff teams who should all finish above them, the teams below them are all on the rise, capable of finishing above them as well. And even if they surprise to the upside I don't see the pick getting to the 20s. So it might not be lottery it's not far off.

[Emhoward]

even tho the grizz lost this trade, i don't hate this for them. Fact of the matter is, even if Ja hits his ceiling, they are going to need more talent to compete for a championship --if you think you know who that is to compliment Ja for years to come don't let JV be the one to stop you from doing it.

[lobosloboslobos]

Alot of people forget that Jonas is one of the worst defenders in NBA especially with JA.

That's why I don't understand the fit w/ Zion and the Pels. They were near the bottom in defense last season and Jonas probably makes them worse in that department.

That's a terrible take. Memphis was 7th in DRtg last year and Jonas had the 3rd most minutes and 2nd highest Defensive Win Shares on the team. Like most bigs he gets burned on pnr pretty often but he is a very active defender who is disruptive both on the perimeter and in the paint. he is much improved defensively compared to years ago.

[BigShaq34]

Alot of people forget that Jonas is one of the worst defenders in NBA especially with JA.

We don’t forget something that’s downright wrong. I watched basically every game of the Grizz last season, and to say he’s one of the worst defenders in the league is laughable. He can’t guard the pick and roll well, but he isn’t Kanter level bad in that department either.

Without Jonas the Grizzlies don’t make the playoffs last year, that’s a fact. That doesn’t happen if someone is the worst defender or among the worst in the league lmao. Stupid to say.

[prophet_of_rage]

It’s not that bad, they pick up a 1st and move up a bunch to the top 10. Also remember that Adams is good, he just wasn’t righ for the Pells. And Bledsoe can play a solid role on the grizz too.

They barely made the PO last year, the point is to get good good and not just maintain. This seems like a move they could easily win, even if it doesn’t look good at first glance.

JjJ is healthy this season too. Front court offence will run through him.

Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk

[ayyayyron]

Who does Memphis want at 10? Moody?

knowing them, probably Corey Kispert

Knowing them? They’ve drafted well since the front office change

I agree that they've drafted well. As an older 3&D player, Corey just seems like he could be Memphis's guy

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Grizzlies must be eying someone at 10 or higher if they move up. Otherwise, I agree they lost this trade. Valanciunas is a heck of a player, and the Pels got 17.

[John Murdoch]

I'm guessing Jonas wanted out, and made that clear to Memphis.

This is an upgrade for the Pelicans, but I'm not sure it really moves the needle. They still have a PF - C combo that doesn't shoot from the perimeter.

I doubt he wanted out , the FO just has a bigger vision which is refreshing

[Jadoogar]

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.

Thats exactly why they should have traded, where you going with JV as your best player ? Clearly they need more time and assets to improve the team, also they are doing great in recent drafts. Who knows, maybe they find 2 players more valuable than any of the involved in the trade in this year draft and the next one

Morant and JJJ are better players than him obviously. But you need veterans around if you want to win anything. JV knows his role and plays it well.
Adams isn't a bad player but grossly overpaid and you're taking on Bledsoe's toxic deal.

[Mr Puddles]

I love it for Memphis.

- They used their cap space to trade up from #17 to #10 and from #51 to #40 by eating Bledsoe's salary.

- They flipped Val for Adams who is a better fit for JJJ and added another future FRP (2022 LAL) on top.

I feel bad for the Pelicans. They traded Jrue for Bledsoe, Adams + two meaningless future FRPs and swaps from Milwaukee and now they are paying to get rid off the two main pieces they traded for Holiday.

I feel like this makes the Jrue trade look better for them now. If you mix both trades together:

Pelicans got:

• two unprotected first round draft picks (2025, 2027)
• the right to swap first-round draft picks (New Orleans’ own for Milwaukee’s own) in 2024 and 2026.
• Jonas V (14 mil, expiring)
• This year's #17 & #51

Pelicans Traded:

• Jrue Holiday
• This year's #10 & #40
• Next year's Laker's top 10 protected.
• Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray, Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams

Note: Stevan Adams and Bledsoe get cancelled out in this equation since he was part of the original Jrue Holiday trade. When combining both trades they would just be sent directly from Milwaukee to Memphis.

Jrue Holiday is good, but doesn't really fit their timeline. When combining both trades, the Pelicans didn't take on any bad contracts (with Adams and Bledsoe gone now), only have JV's expiring on the books for this year (which is very reasonable at 14 mil to begin with), and they still end up with a bunch of picks.

[donato]

If they have the same injury luck, it's not crazy. The post ASB Lakers were about that level of play. Who knows if Street Clothes and Old Man Bron can do it again.

It's a 4 in 30 chance. Or 13.3%. Sure, it's possible they JUST miss the playoffs and end up there. I think if you have a catastrophic AD or Lebron injury you're probably in the top 10 which the Pelicans would keep and Memphis would get 2 second rounders. If you don't have that, which we are all expecting, you're clearly picking in the 20's.

Well, that's my prediction anyway, that they win 37-41 games and the pick falls between 11-14. I don't think this trade really helps NOP on the court all that much and they'd still need to figure out the PG situation so anyone expecting them to be playoff locks is being too optimistic. Besides the playoff teams who should all finish above them, the teams below them are all on the rise, capable of finishing above them as well. And even if they surprise to the upside I don't see the pick getting to the 20s. So it might not be lottery it's not far off.

The pick isn't a 2022 Pelicans first rounder, it's a 2022 Lakers first rounder.

[Slim Charless]

I have a feeling NOLA will go after Chris Paul instead of Kyle Lowry in FA, something like $100M over 3 years. Get NOLA to playoffs and keep Zion happy

That would be a good move for this year imo. Maybe a way to retain Zion as well. I like it.

We saw what CP3 did for Ayton's career, he would have a bigger impact on Zion's career.

CP3 leaves a finals team (who'd pay him the same) to go to the Pels for what reason again....?

[Dacost]

Alot of people forget that Jonas is one of the worst defenders in NBA especially with JA.

We don’t forget something that’s downright wrong. I watched basically every game of the Grizz last season, and to say he’s one of the worst defenders in the league is laughable. He can’t guard the pick and roll well, but he isn’t Kanter level bad in that department either.

Without Jonas the Grizzlies don’t make the playoffs last year, that’s a fact. That doesn’t happen if someone is the worst defender or among the worst in the league lmao. Stupid to say.

I disagreed 100% as aGrizz fan who also saw every minute of the team last season you can't see how awful he was and the series vs the Jazz was the cherry on top.

No team playing Jonas heavy minutes will ever win playoff series the dude just gets murder on the pick and roll.

And the GRIZZ front office agree with me.

[Profound23]

I have a feeling NOLA will go after Chris Paul instead of Kyle Lowry in FA, something like $100M over 3 years. Get NOLA to playoffs and keep Zion happy

That would be a good move for this year imo. Maybe a way to retain Zion as well. I like it.

We saw what CP3 did for Ayton's career, he would have a bigger impact on Zion's career.

CP3 leaves a finals team (who'd pay him the same) to go to the Pels for what reason again....?

Well hello sir...
MR. "I will be here after the Finals are over" then you disappeared?

[BrianInPhilly]

Alot of people forget that Jonas is one of the worst defenders in NBA especially with JA.

We don’t forget something that’s downright wrong. I watched basically every game of the Grizz last season, and to say he’s one of the worst defenders in the league is laughable. He can’t guard the pick and roll well, but he isn’t Kanter level bad in that department either.

Without Jonas the Grizzlies don’t make the playoffs last year, that’s a fact. That doesn’t happen if someone is the worst defender or among the worst in the league lmao. Stupid to say.

I'm with you. The idea that a center is a poor defender because they don't fit every single defensive box or "cant' defend the pick and roll" is comical at this point - I see so many fans say this for practically every center in the NBA. There is under 5 centers in the entire league who theoretically check every fox defensively - defend bigger guys, rin protect, switch onto guards, defend pick & roll. Maybe just 1 actually in Joel Embiid. Every other center you're giving up something defensively. Just look at the Finals this year - People were trashing Brook Lopez all Playoffs for "not defending the pick & roll" yet the Bucks won with him playing starter minutes. Even Ayton people trashed earlier this year for his terrible pick & roll defense.

Does Jonas have some limitations? Sure, but he's overall a solid defender and definitely contributes to wins if used correctly. The Pelicans would be wise to stagger Jonas & Zion's minutes a bit but there's a lot of frontcourt minutes to go around.

[BostonCouchGM]

It's a 4 in 30 chance. Or 13.3%. Sure, it's possible they JUST miss the playoffs and end up there. I think if you have a catastrophic AD or Lebron injury you're probably in the top 10 which the Pelicans would keep and Memphis would get 2 second rounders. If you don't have that, which we are all expecting, you're clearly picking in the 20's.

Well, that's my prediction anyway, that they win 37-41 games and the pick falls between 11-14. I don't think this trade really helps NOP on the court all that much and they'd still need to figure out the PG situation so anyone expecting them to be playoff locks is being too optimistic. Besides the playoff teams who should all finish above them, the teams below them are all on the rise, capable of finishing above them as well. And even if they surprise to the upside I don't see the pick getting to the 20s. So it might not be lottery it's not far off.

The pick isn't a 2022 Pelicans first rounder, it's a 2022 Lakers first rounder.

no need to knock yourself out, I didn't see that reported. It's still a lottery pick, moving up 11 picks in the second round of this very deep draft, and a future first. Since I think Adams is a better fit with JJJ stretching the floor and Bledsoe is easily moved, it's still a good trade for MEM. All this means is it's not a fleecing.

[donato]

Well, that's my prediction anyway, that they win 37-41 games and the pick falls between 11-14. I don't think this trade really helps NOP on the court all that much and they'd still need to figure out the PG situation so anyone expecting them to be playoff locks is being too optimistic. Besides the playoff teams who should all finish above them, the teams below them are all on the rise, capable of finishing above them as well. And even if they surprise to the upside I don't see the pick getting to the 20s. So it might not be lottery it's not far off.

The pick isn't a 2022 Pelicans first rounder, it's a 2022 Lakers first rounder.

no need to knock yourself out, I didn't see that reported. It's still a lottery pick, moving up 11 picks in the second round of this very deep draft, and a future first. Since I think Adams is a better fit with JJJ stretching the floor and Bledsoe is easily moved, it's still a good trade for MEM. All this means is it's not a fleecing.

Disagree with everything you said, but good luck have fun.

[NO-KG-AI]

Everyone loves Bledsoe and Adams and their contracts again now that they left NO right? Just making sure I get my board takes in line.

[Coach Carter]

Great trade for both parties

Memphis young core is Morant (22), JJJ (22), Melton (23), thus are in no rush. You can find a really good player at pick 10. Adams and Bled walk in two years.

Pelicans can now let Lonzo walk and they'll have enough to sign a Lowry or Conley. Ingram is at that age now (24) where we're ready to see what he can do come playoff time.