Through 15 weeks of the 2019-20 NBA season, the Grizzlies are still a playoff team. They’ve been firmly entrenched at the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference for some time, and they’re now an even 25-25.
The Blazers finally have momentum (23-27), the Spurs can’t be overlooked (23-27) and Zion Williamson could be just what the Pelicans (20-30) need to contend for that final spot in the West this season.
But even if each of those three teams passed the Grizzlies in the standings, all the non-playoff Eastern Conference teams are trending toward a worse 2019-20 record than Memphis and the rest of the West — Phoenix, Sacramento, Minnesota and Golden State — barely has a pulse.
At best, the Grizzlies could fall to No. 11 in the lottery this year. And even if that somehow happened, Memphis’ odds to move up would be minimal (2%).
Now, for some teams -- like the Rockets -- that pick is still valuable whether it’s just outside the lottery or it’s at No. 8. The fear of it being No. 17 may simply mean Boston has to include a bit more in a deal.
Whereas, for the Celtics, the Memphis pick loses value by the day.
“We probably have, I think, too many really young guys,” Danny Ainge said on NBC Sports Boston’s “Celtics Pregame Live” on Monday. "We’re going to look around, but we certainly don’t want to make a deal just to make a deal.”
Too many “really young” guys. If that’s somewhat of a problem, why do the Celtics want three first-round picks this year?
Sure, they could make a move between the end of the season and before the 2020 NBA Draft, but this team has a chance to contend now. Ainge even stated, “we’re going to look to see if there’s ways to strengthen the end of our bench.” And if the Celtics have heard from “8 or 10 teams” as Ainge said, some, if not all of them, are eyeing the three 2020 first-round picks Boston has.
Of course, that’s not to say the Celtics should start conversations by offering up Memphis pick. But, if a team with the right piece is adamant about including it in a deal, Ainge should move this asset. Philly is scuffling and the right move could significantly help Boston in a postseason matchup against Milwaukee.
This pick might be of great worth to other teams, but the way the Grizzlies are trending — even if the selection miraculously didn’t convey this year — that pick is not going to be valuable enough for the Celtics that they should hold onto it at all costs.
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