Rob Pelinka Urged to Swoop Grizzlies’ $20 Million Star as Ja Morant’s Return Alters Rotation
Have the Grizzlies had the solution to the Lakers’ problem all along? Hoping to upgrade their roster to get back to title contention, Rob Pelinka likely has his eyes set on multiple teams for potential trade options.
And his search could finally be over once Ja Morant returns to the Grizzlies lineup from his season-ending injury. No, it’s not Morant that he would go after. Instead, the superstar’s return could give Pelinka a chance to get his hands on a former DPOY!
Yes, we are talking about none other than guard Marcus Smart.
Just like Ja spent most of last season dealing with an injury and recovering from his shoulder surgery, Smart was also limited to playing only 20 games after being struck by the injury bug twice.
First, he missed a major chunk because of an ankle injury. Unfortunately, further misery awaited him as he injured his right ring finger during a game against the Mavs in January.
This put him out of action for six weeks and his problems didn’t end there as further complications in his recovery forced him to miss the rest of the season.
But now both Smart and Morant are expected to fully recover before the start of the new season. The Grizzlies lineup will look a lot different from last season.
While they will start the year playing together, the front office could consider trading Smart mid-season if he cannot generate the desired results. And that would be Pelinka’s window to swoop in and acquire the former Celtics star.
With two years left on his contract and a little over $20 million owed in annual salary, acquiring Smart could prove a steal at that price.
Moreover, Pelinka has D’Angelo Russell and Jalen-Hood Schifino as trade options to facilitate the exchange. But is Marcus Smart worth the risk?
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His shooting skills
Leadership
Work ethic
Charisma
How can Marcus Smart boost the Lakers’ title aspirations?
Well, Smart is not the typical lengthy three and D guy that Pelinka is used to pursuing. Standing at 6’3 he is never the tallest guy on the floor.
Moreover, he is not a very efficient three-point shooter which LeBron usually prefers around him, as he is a career 32.3% shooter from deep range. But what he lacks in height and shooting, he makes up for with his defensive prowess and playoff experience.
Yes, he is one of the rare guards in league history to win a DPOY trophy for his elite defense just two years ago.
