Grayson Allen Reportedly Traded from Grizzlies to Bucks for Sam Merrill, Draft Picks
August 6, 2021
The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly reached an agreement to trade guard Grayson Allen to the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks for guard Sam Merrill and two future second-round draft picks.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal Friday.
Allen's role has steadily grown across three seasons since the Utah Jazz selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 50 appearances (38 starts) for the Grizzlies last season. He ranked 22nd among shooting guards in ESPN's real plus-minus.
The 25-year-old Duke product has made his largest impact as an outside shooter. He's knocked down 38.1 percent of his career three-point attempts and made 2.1 threes per game for Memphis in 2020-21. In five playoff games, he made 1.6 treys at a 38.1 percent clip.
Allen will likely take the rotation spot vacated by Bryn Forbes, who averaged 1.7 threes on 37.1 percent shooting in 20 games during the Bucks' postseason run to the title. In 70 regular-season games, including 10 starts, he made 2.2 threes on 45.2 percenting shooting. Forbes departed in free agency to rejoin the San Antonio Spurs, with whom he spent the first four seasons of his career.
Three-point shooting around the core trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday is a key reason Milwaukee captured its first championship since 1971.
Meanwhile, Merrill could have a better opportunity to carve out a consistent role with Memphis.
The 2020 second-round pick played a bit role during his rookie season, with just 7.8 minutes per game across 30 appearances. He also played five contests for the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies' G League affiliate, averaging 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
He'll likely compete with Desmond Bane and De'Anthony Melton for minutes to open the 2021-22 campaign.
The Grizzlies also landed a couple of second-round choices to bolster their future roster-building efforts after posting a 38-34 record last season and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.