Tyreke Evans Trade Rumors: Grizzlies Want 1st Round Draft Pick for SG

The Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly asking for a first-round pick in any trade for guard Tyreke Evans, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, however, the team is unlikely to find any takers.

Per that report, "The Grizzlies have missed in several drafts on first-rounders, including the waiving of 2015 No. 17 pick Wade Baldwin, and need to replenish their stock of picks. As a rental on an expiring deal, it is hard to imagine Evans delivering that kind of a return."

Evans, 28, has been one of the lone bright spots for the struggling Grizzlies this season, averaging 19.7 points—his highest mark since his rookie season—5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. But with Evans hitting free agency after the season—and likely nothing more for prospective playoff teams than an infusion of scoring off the bench—a first-round pick is a big ask. 

Certainly, the Grizzlies are a prime candidate to be sellers at the trade deadline, having limped to a 12-27 start, leaving them tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the third worst record in the NBA behind only the Atlanta Hawks (10-29) and Orlando Magic (12-28).

Center Marc Gasol, 32, is the team's most tradeable asset, namely because he's under contract through the 2018-19 season and has a player option for the 2019-20 campaign, per Spotrac.com, making him more than a mere rental. He remains an excellent two-way option at the position, though per Wojnarowski, "so far, the Grizzlies say they're planning to keep him."

Point guard Mike Conley would have been an intriguing trade chip as well, but he's been out of action since November with an Achilles injury and doesn't yet have a timetable for his return. If the Grizzlies decide to trade him, it will likely have to be this offseason. 

That leaves Evans and Gasol as the team's two primary trade chips, and the two players most likely to be wearing a new uniform before next month's trade deadline if the Grizzlies decide to undergo a full rebuild.