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The Memphis Grizzlies were supposedly favorites to land Dorian Finney-Smith, but the Lakers swooped in and offered the best deal for him. The Grizzlies now have to pivot, and they have another player in mind from the Brooklyn Nets, which is Cam Johnson, according to Marc Stein.
“The Nets are now said to be seeking multiple first-round picks from teams interested in trading for sharpshooter Cam Johnson,” Stein wrote. “Can they really expect to get more than one first-rounder for Johnson after the deals just witnessed for Schröder and Finney-Smith?
“It will surprise no one around the league if Memphis, after such extensive talks with Brooklyn on Finney-Smith, pivots to a Johnson pursuit.”
The Grizzlies have been linked to Johnson before these recent talks, and the rumor was that they may have had to part ways with Marcus Smart, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
“Speaking of the Grizzlies, they are not looking to make that much of a drastic change despite inquiring about Johnson, sources said. Memphis continues to shoot down teams that have called to check in on Marcus Smart's availability, which leads to speculation about whether the former Defensive Player of the Year is the potential trade chip the Grizzlies are holding onto because they feel like they have an in with Brooklyn,” Siegel said. “Parting ways with Smart to land Johnson would be a massive upgrade for Memphis without a significant change happening to their core.”
Grizzlies still trying to improve their team
Cam Johnson is having a career year on the Nets, and any contender looking to add more perimeter shooting to their team will be looking to acquire him. The Grizzlies are second in the Western Conference, and though it feels like they have all the pieces they need, adding a shooter like Johnson would be big for them. They would most likely have to trade away one of their sharpshooters in Luke Kennard, but they're getting somebody in return who may be better than him.
If they have to move away from Smart, they'll be losing some defense and guard abilities on their team, but they have the depth to replace some of what he brought to the team. It'll be interesting to see if the Grizzlies will be aggressive in trying to Johnson after striking out on Dorian Finney-Smith, but it may be in their best interest to do whatever they can to get him before someone else in the conference does.
