NBA Rumors: Grizzlies Were Interested In This Star Before Marcus Smart Trade

Bringing in toughness evidently was a priority for the Grizzlies following the 2022-23 NBA season.

Memphis, which suffered a first-round playoff exit after securing the Western Conference’s second seed, certainly added a great deal of grit by acquiring Marcus Smart. Smart arrived to Memphis through a three-deal deal with Boston and Washington that also sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.

But before the Grizzlies landed the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, they reportedly had their eyes on another hard-nosed veteran with a substantial pedigree.

“I’m told that the Grizzlies’ pre-Smart interest in Green was genuine,” Stein wrote in his Substack on Sunday night. “And it’s fascinating to simply consider the idea of Green engaging Memphis in free agency conversations after the teams’ past battles.”

It’s fair to wonder whether the Grizzlies previously were more interested in Green than Smart before ultimately acquiring the 10th-year point guard. Stein also reported there’s “strong confidence” coming out of Golden State indicating Green and the Warriors will work out a multi-year deal this summer. Memphis might have been privy to this information and realized it had a better shot of landing Smart than Green.

Regardless, Smart has a chance to be a seamless fit with the Grizzlies, who clearly are excited about the 29-year-old being on board.

The post NBA Rumors: Grizzlies Were Interested In This Star Before Marcus Smart Trade appeared first on NESN.com.