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Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Trey Burke, Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr., 2020 second-round pick (from Charlotte, via New York), 2021 second-round pick (via Dallas)
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Marc Gasol, Omri Casspi OR Shelvin Mack
New York Knicks Receive: DeAndre Jordan
Another Mavericks scenario is necessary. For starters, the league is light on teams that might be open to swinging trades for expensive bigs. Mostly, Phoenix’s apparent disinterest in Dennis Smith Jr. begs for alternatives.
This deal is a smaller swing for Dallas without cheating Memphis out of a defensible return. The Mavericks lose Dorian Finney-Smith, a tantalizing defender and wing rebounder with limited offensive tools, but get to keep Dennis Smith Jr. for another deal. (A Smith-for-Jonathan Isaac swap would be fun).
Giving up Finney-Smith is a minor blow. The Mavericks aren’t drowning in wings. But they don’t have to trade Wesley Matthews—waits for Dallas fans to grown—and Finney-Smith’s restricted free agency could be pricey with so many teams expected to have cap space and the demand for switchy defenders at an all-time high. Dallas is not selling low.
Tim Hardaway Jr.’s contract is tough for most teams to swallow. The Grizzlies aren’t one of them. They need another scoring option, particularly if they’re cutting ties with Gasol. Hardaway’s price point isn’t ideal, but despite what his sub-40-percent shooting implies, he’s generating offense at a manageable clip.
Among every player attempting at least three pull-up threes per game, his 38.6 percent mark ranks fourth, trailing only Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Khris Middleton. The Grizzlies can eat the $37.1 million he’s owed over the next two seasons (2020-21 player option) knowing that it won’t consign them to tax territory, and that they’re likely not signing a better player, even if they carve out the necessary wiggle room.
Memphis doesn’t need to consider Hardaway an asset on his own. Picking up a wing, another probing point guard (Trey Burke) and that Charlotte pick amounts to a worthwhile buffer if the front office isn’t looking to hit reset.
New York has the least to think about of the trio. Hardaway’s contract is not good. Moving it without including two seconds, a first-rounder or Frank Ntilikina is a victory. DeAndre Jordan serves no purpose for the Knicks. He becomes a buyout candidate unless they plan on playing Kristaps Porzingis this season—they’d like to, per the New York Post‘s Marc Berman—and want to see what that partnership looks like. Even then, a Porzingis-Noah Vonleh duo is more intriguing.
The Grizzlies could try scooping up Emmanuel Mudiay instead of Burke. He’s the superior option by a fair margin right now, and it’d make giving up Shelvin Mack a lot easier. New York shouldn’t flinch if Memphis pushes. Offloading Hardaway cuts $18.2 million from this summer’s bottom line and opens up more than enough room to sign Kevin Durant (player option).
from Viral News Show http://bit.ly/2Cv0lnB
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