It was February of 2015. The Memphis Grizzlies had four of five starting positions solidified. It had not been long since they shipped out Rudy Gay and experimented with Tayshaun Prince. The team had been longing for a big-name small forward. The Grizzlies were rumored to be targeting veteran forwards Luol Deng or Jeff Green.
Prior to the NBA Trade Deadline, Memphis had thought they stole a potential All-Star forward from the Boston Celtics. They landed Jeff Green, who, at the time, was putting up the most points per game of his career with 17.6.
It was a rather sweet deal oozing with benefits.