NBA Trade Rumors: The Memphis Grizzlies May Be on the Verge of Making a Big Mistake
Grizzlies could be considering trading the fourth overall pick in order to offload Chandler Parsons' contract
Late last week, news broke that the Memphis Grizzlies could be thinking about doing something interesting with the fourth overall pick currently in their possession.
To be more specific, The Athletic's Michael Scotto reported that the Grizzlies "have gauged the trade market on a package of Chandler Parsons and the No. 4 overall pick."
It's been a few days since then, and apparently, the Grizzlies have received feedback from some interested parties.
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According to The New York Times' Marc Stein, the Grizzlies "continue to receive significant trade interest" in that same package of the pick and Parsons that Scotto reported on earlier.
The Grizzlies' motivation here is clear.
Parsons still has plenty of money coming to him over the next two seasons via his contract. If he were healthy and productive, the Grizzlies probably wouldn't mind paying him, but thus far, he's been injured a lot while with the team and when he has played, he's been ineffective.
With Mike Conley and Marc Gasol on the roster, the Grizzlies aren't built to tank for lottery picks; they are built to contend for a playoff spot.
If they were somehow able to move Parsons' contract, then they could use the newly freed up cap room to sign other players who can be better contributors.
Now, the question the Grizzlies have to answer is whether the financial flexibility that can be gained from trading Parsons is worth losing a high pick in a draft where some pretty talented players are going to be available early on.
In the short term, the move may be beneficial, but in the long run, the Grizzlies could come to regret trading away such a valuable asset.
For what it's worth, the Grizzlies don't seem to be fully committed to the idea of dealing the pick yet, and Stein's report notes that remaining in the high lottery portion of the draft remains "crucial" to the team.
If the Grizzlies want to make sure that they don't miss out on an opportunity to draft a talented young player, then the best course of action for them may be to just keep the pick and Parsons and go from there.
