The Grizzlies have emerged as a serious suitor for Kevin Durant.
Memphis has made new inquiries to Brooklyn about the two-time Finals MVP, according to The Athletic, which reported that the Grizzlies could offer a package built around their five first-round draft picks (four unprotected selections of their own and one protected via Golden States in 2024).
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The Grizzlies also have a promising young core, which includes Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, Ziaire Williams, Kennedy Chandler and David Roddy.
Memphis, however, reportedly will not include Jackson or Bane in a potential offer for Durant. Morant agreed to a five-year rookie maximum extension — worth up to $231 million — in July.
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The Grizzlies have made strides to put together a contending team since they drafted Morant second-overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The All-Star point guard helped lead Memphis to its first 56-win season last year since 2012-13. Memphis lost to the eventual 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors in six games in the Western Conference semifinals last season.
The Celtics, Heat and Raptors reportedly remain in the mix as potential suitors for Durant, who requested a trade out of Brooklyn in June, after three seasons.
Durant then doubled down on his trade request earlier this month in a meeting with team owner Joe Tsai, in which he proposed an ultimatum to trade him or fire coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks.
Morant tweeted “easy money” (a playoff Durant’s Instagram name) on the same day the news broke about Durant wanting out of Brooklyn.
Durant, who will turn 34 in September, signed a four-year, $198 million extension with the Nets last August.
Milwaukee and Denver also inquired with the Nets earlier this summer to “gauge the price tag” Durant, according to The Athletic.
All eyes have been on Brooklyn through the NBA offseason after the Nets were bounced out of the playoffs by the Celtics in the first round.
Nets point guard Kyrie Irving opted in to his $37 million player option, committing to the 2022-23 season in Brooklyn at the end of June — just days before Durant requested a trade.
Irving has been working out with teammates and holding “constructive dialogue” with the organization this offseason, according to The Athletic. Brooklyn has reportedly made it clear to teams interested in Irving that it plans to keep the seven-time All-Star.
Irving’s future in Brooklyn has come into question after he played in just 29 games last season due to his refusal to comply with local COVID-19 vaccine ordinances, which kept him sidelined for home games. Rumors of chemistry issues between Irving and his teammates also made headlines last season.
Irving has been at the center of trade buzz in the NBA offseason. Last week, The Athletic reported that LeBron James has been “privately adamant” that the Lakers need to trade for Irving — his former Cavaliers teammate of four years. The Nets were also without Ben Simmons and Joe Harris in the latter half of last season due to injury. Both players are expected to be on track to return in the coming season.
Jenna Lemoncelli, New York Post
STICKING POINT IN BLOCKBUSTER TRADE FOR ALL-STAR
It’s not about the players in the package. It’s not about the amount of first-round picks.
According to sources, Jazz president Danny Ainge and Knicks president Leon Rose are at a Donovan Mitchell stalemate over really one thing — the amount of “unprotected” first-round picks in the package.
On draft night in June, Rose collected a handful of protected first-rounders in his wheeling and dealing that cost him his own lottery pick at No. 11. But attaching protected first-rounders in the Utah deal has not stirred Ainge’s soul.
According to a recent proposal, courtesy of Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Knicks offered Obi Toppin, Evan Fournier, cash, two unprotected first-round picks and three protected for a total of five.
The Jazz declined. A source told The Post that Ainge is after four unprotected first-round picks — not just two. That’s no small gap.
In fact, Ainge doesn’t have many strong preferences on the players coming back, although shooting guard Quentin Grimes is certainly high on his list.
The Knicks, too, aren’t concerned with the exact player package — just the amount of first-round picks they give up. The Post reported Saturday the Knicks’ belief is a Jalen Brunson-Mitchell backcourt can be the elixir to a 10-game jump in the standings from 37 wins to 47 wins.
However, if they give up the entire farm of first-rounders, they will be hard-pressed to make another significant trade to make them a championship contender. They believe having Brunson and Mitchell would spur another star to join them.
The Knicks have four future first-round picks that, for the most part, are lottery protected.
That the Knicks are reportedly willing to give up 2020 lottery pick Toppin is a sign of their belief Julius Randle can return closer to the 2020-21 form when he was second-team All-NBA. They are hopeful Randle will be in a better space mentally than he was in 2021-22.
Knicks brass is worried about finding the right roster balance with Randle/Toppin as power forwards who don’t play another position. Toppin is a lot easier to trade as he is on his rookie contract. A Randle-Toppin smallball frontcourt is considered unappealing to the organization.
While Grimes is a favorite of Tom Thibodeau, the 2020-21 Coach of the Year is happy to place RJ Barrett alongside Brunson and Mitchell. That diminutive backcourt could use Barrett’s size at the 3.
The issue with Barrett is the potential of him demanding a maximum contract extension of five years, $185 million that may not be tradable in the future if Barrett does not grow into a winning player and All-Star.
However, the mix of players doesn’t seem to be the top concern for Utah or the Knicks.
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