NBA Trade Rumors: Memphis Grizzlies Looking to Trade Tyreke Evans for a First Round Pick
Versatile guard Tyreke Evans has been one of the few bright spots on the Memphis Grizzlies roster this season, but he's reportedly on the trading block.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Grizzlies are hoping to get a first-round pick for Evans. However, the team is unlikely to find a trade partner that is willing to give up a valuable pick for a player who is on an expiring deal.
"Memphis wants to find a first-round pick for Tyreke Evans, but that is likely to prove difficult. The Grizzlies have missed in several drafts on first-rounders, including the waiving of 2015 No. 17 pick Wade Baldwin, and need to replenish their stock of picks. As a rental on an expiring deal, it is hard to imagine Evans delivering that kind of a return," Wojnarowski said.
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The Grizzlies were expected to field offers for Evans since they were unlikely to contend for a spot in the playoffs this year. However, the price tag for the former Rookie of the Year (2010) is somewhat surprising.
Of course, the Grizzlies can still move Evans before the trade deadline in February, but they have to be willing to lower their asking price to do so.
Evans was supposed to fill the role of playmaker off the bench when he signed a one-year deal with the Grizzlies in the summer of 2017. But Memphis had to move him to the starting lineup while guard Mike Conley continues to deal with an Achilles injury.
Evans is currently playing his best basketball since his rookie season with the Sacramento Kings. The veteran guard is averaging 19.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals in under 31 minutes this season, and he's shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three-point range, and 78.7 percent from the free-throw line.
