Moving pieces around, and acquiring new players, is always a part of the rebuilding process. Normally, that’s the last step to building a new playoff team, but for the Memphis Grizzlies, they’ve built a playoff contender in just a few years through a few key trades.
As hard as it was for Grizzlies fans to watch players like Marc Gasol and Mike Conley leave, as the moves marked the end of the beloved Grit-‘N-Grind era, but the moves were inarguably a huge part in building the team that Memphis has now.
Whether it’s acquiring players who you know will fit perfectly in your system, or getting more draft picks while removing players who were hurting your team, a good front office can use trades to secure a long term future for the franchise.