Grizzlies' Updated Roster, Starting Lineup, Salary Cap After Marcus Smart Trade
The Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards reportedly agreed to a blockbuster three-team trade late Wednesday night, resulting in guard Marcus Smart going from Boston to Memphis and center Kristaps Porziņģis going from Washington to Boston.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps), the deal also features guard Tyus Jones going from Memphis to Washington. Additionally, the Celtics are receiving the Grizzlies' No. 25 overall pick in Thursday's 2023 NBA draft and the Golden State Warriors' top-four protected first round pick in 2024, and Boston is sending the No. 35 overall pick in the second round of the 2023 draft to Memphis, and both Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to Washington.
Following the trade, the Grizzlies' starting lineup and overall roster entering the draft and free agency is as follows:
Projected Starting Lineup
Ja Morant (G)
Marcus Smart (G)
Desmond Bane (G)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (PF)
Steven Adams (C)
Projected Bench
Luke Kennard (G)
Brandon Clarke (PF)
Ziaire Williams (SF)
Jake LaRavia (PF)
David Roddy (PF)
John Konchar (G)
Santi Aldama (C)
Xavier Tillman (C - club option)
Kenneth Lofton Jr. (PF)
Jacob Gilyard (G)
Vincent Williams Jr. (SF)
Also, per Spotrac, the trade puts the Grizzlies at an overall salary cap number of $165,946,107, meaning they have -$29,946,107 in cap max space and -$28,015,426 in practical cap space.
Essentially, the Grizzlies parted with one of the league's top backup point guards and a 2024 first-round pick, and moved down 10 spots in the 2023 draft to pick up arguably the league's premier perimeter defender in Smart.
The 29-year-old Smart was originally the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft out of Oklahoma State, and until now, he has spent his entire nine-year NBA career in Boston.
In 581 career regular-season games, Smart owns averages of 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals, while shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc.
He has perhaps been an even better playoff performer over the years, averaging 12.8 points, 4.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 three-pointers made and 1.3 steals in 108 contests.
Smart's greatest asset is his defense, as the 6'3" guard is a three-time NBA All-Defensive first-team selection, a three-time winner of the NBA Hustle Award and the 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
That style of play should work well alongside the offensively dynamic Ja Morant, and it gives Memphis another elite defender to complement reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr.
Also, Smart is coming off a 2022-23 season in which he averaged a career-high 6.3 assists per game, which suggests he is capable of replacing Morant as the primary point guard when need be.
Morant is suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season for flashing a gun during an Instagram Live video, meaning Smart will begin the campaign as the Grizzlies' starting point before likely sliding into an off-ball role when Morant returns.
