NBA Rumors: Grizzlies sign Bismack Biyombo to address center problems
The Memphis Grizzlies' season is off to the worst possible start. At 0-3, it's clear the team cannot thrive under its current circumstances. Steven Adams is expected to miss the entire season after knee surgery. Ja Morant won't be eligible to play until his suspension is lifted on Dec. 19.
That said, we have seen the Grizzlies' thrive without Morant in the past. Memphis has a deep reservoir of young talent and there is other star power on the roster, with Jaren Jackson Jr. fresh off his first All-Star berth and Desmond Bane hot on his tail. The Grizzlies also added another high-profile point guard over the summer in Marcus Smart.
It is Adams' injury that has really tanked Memphis. Not because he's better than Morant, but because the Grizzlies are simply ill-prepared to replace him. There is a severe lack of physicality in the frontcourt without Adams. Jackson is a master rim protector, but he's best utilized as a roamer in the four spot. He can get into foul trouble quicker as the de facto five, while the Grizzlies' inability to rebound without Adams is pronounced.
Xavier Tillman has been the nominal starting center in Adams' place, but he's 6-foot-8 with an offensive disposition. Memphis remains at a size disadvantage almost every night. Meanwhile, expanded duties for David Roddy, Jake LaRavia, and others have yielded a mixed bag of results.
The Grizzlies found a potential solution in the form of Bismack Biyombo, who the team can sign via exemption following the fifth game of Morant's suspension.
Biyombo spent the last two years in Phoenix. He averaged 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 14.3 minutes per game last season. The rim protection obviously stands out, along with Biyombo's physicality. He competes hard on the glass and he is unafraid to handle brawny paint scorers. He is also 6-foot-8, but Biyombo packs 255 pounds of muscle and he can still get vertical at the rim.
At 31 years old, Biyombo doesn't profile as a full-time starter, but he's a useful role player who addresses a specific need for the Grizzlies. Expect him to play — maybe frequently — once he's allowed to sign with the team.
NBA Rumors: Jalen McDaniels left 76ers for Raptors for more money
The Philadelphia 76ers' offseason featured the loss of several key rotation pieces. One such rotation piece was Jalen McDaniels, who signed with the Toronto Raptors on a two-year, $9.3 million contract. McDaniels played 24 regular season games for the Sixers after the trade deadline, averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds on .488/.400/.824 splits in 17.5 minutes.
Toronto played host to Philadelphia on Saturday, Before the game, McDaniels spoke appreciatively of his time in the City of Brotherly Love.
"It was a fun time, being on the court with superstars stuff like that," he told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It was just a whole different vibe."
However, when asked about what the Sixers offered him to stay, McDaniels was honest.
"It was just like a minimum-type thing. Yeah, I couldn't do that, you know?"
Philadelphia gave up Matisse Thybulle to acquire McDaniels and a couple second-round picks, so there was a real investment in the 25-year-old. At the end of the day, however, Daryl Morey's master plan is not difficult to decipher. The Sixers are angling to enter the 2024 offseason with enough cap space for two max contracts. Only a select handful of players on the roster are under guaranteed contract beyond this season.
McDaniels didn't fit the Sixers' plans, financially or otherwise. There's natural interest in 6-foot-9 wings with McDaniels' blend of athleticism, defensive activity, and 3-point shooting, but he was often more theoretically good than actually good. Inconsistency with his jumper and his defensive approach made him difficult to trust once the playoffs arrived.
He should get a longer leash in Toronto.
NBA Rumors: Sixers did not take Knicks' offer for Joel Embiid seriously
Several recent reports have tied Joel Embiid to the New York Knicks as a potential trade target. One even suggested a potential package — Julius Randle and/or R.J. Barrett and/or Mitchell Robinson and/or Evan Fournier and a few draft picks.
While Embiid is a well-documented priority for the Knicks, it doesn't really matter what New York wants. It matters what Philadelphia 76ers (and, perhaps most of all, Embiid) wants. Right now, there's no trouble in paradise, despite the Sixers' ongoing trade demand snafu with James Harden.
"[The Sixers and Embiid] didn't take it seriously," one source told Ian Begley of SNY in reference to the Knicks' purported Embiid trade offer.
Begley also reports that people in the Sixers organziation believe Embiid remains committed to Philadelphia for the long haul. The 7-footer has weathered many a storm since his arrival in 2014. Embiid has been through the Colangelo burner scandal, the Markelle Fultz debacle, the unforgivable Jimmy Butler decision, the Ben Simmons holdout... and now, Harden's trade request. If he wasn't scared off already, one has to imagine Embiid's tolerance for organizational B.S. is extremely high.
Until Embiid officially demands a trade — and there's no guarantee it ever happens — New York should probably focus its energy elsewhere. The Embiid pursuit is all theoretical, based entirely on the idea that Harden's request might push Embiid over the edge. The thing is, Embiid has never given much indication that he's actually near the edge.
Philadelphia can't rest easy, of course. It's critical to continue fielding a contender around the reigning MVP. But, so long as Embiid and Morey remain on the same page, the Knicks probably can't count on Embiid falling into their lap.
