Memphis Grizzlies Receive: G/F Jeremy Lamb, MIA 2022 2nd Round Pick, IND 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-7 Protected)
Indiana Pacers Receive: F Kyle Anderson
While the Grizzlies would want a ton of assets in return for Kyle Anderson, this seems to be a pretty fair deal for his value, especially since Anderson is not really a high-level talent.
He does a little bit of everything to help his team win, which is why the veteran forward is an above-average player in terms of value right now, but he is not the type of player that is the difference between a team contending for a title.
The Indiana Pacers are going to be looking to move Jeremy Lamb and since the Grizzlies would not be tied down to his contract long-term, they may be willing to trade Anderson for him, that is if they can get a handful of draft compensation in the process.
Memphis is not a playoff threat this season and will likely be nothing more than the 7-seed in the Western Conference, which is why moving Anderson for draft picks could be a smart move.
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If they want to keep Kyle Anderson long-term, then trading him right now may not be the best move, but he is going to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason anyway, so if the Grizzlies really want to keep him, they can always look to sign him again.
Jeremy Lamb is coming off a season in which he only played in 36 games, but this is because he is still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in early 2020.
With the Pacers last year, Lamb averaged 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and shot 40.6% from three-point range, so even if he can play in 50+ games for Memphis during the 2021-22 season, he would be an asset on the wing for them. Not to mention, if Lamb can come back and play well for the Grizzlies, they could even look to flip him for more future assets near the NBA trade deadline.
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By moving Kyle Anderson, Memphis would be signaling that they are “all-in” on building for the future next offseason when they have a lot of assets and cap space to play around with. They are in a very good situation as a franchise right now with a young, emerging All-Star-talent in Ja Morant and as for the Indiana Pacers, this could be a “make-or-break” year for them.
Indiana must prove that they can win now and make it past the first round of the playoffs, otherwise, their roster will get flipped around next offseason. Acquiring Anderson gives them another reliable player to utilize and they really cannot say they have a reliable player on the wing right now.
There is definitely value to be had for both teams involved in this trade, but is this a move that would make sense for both teams to make before the start of the 2021-22 season?
