Memphis Grizzlies: How Difficult Will the Southwest Division Be Following the Anthony Davis Trade?

The NBA’s Southwest Division has lost one of its biggest stars as Anthony Davis has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. How does this affect the Memphis Grizzlies in next season’s standings?

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans reached a deal which sends Anthony Davis to L.A. After all the months of discussions and speculations of this very movement, it is now over. While the Memphis Grizzlies did not get in on the deal as a third team for facilitation, it will indirectly affect them and the rest of the league.

The Grizzlies have been in existence since the 1995-96 NBA season, dating back to their introduction in Vancouver. Over the past 24 seasons, Memphis has never won a divisional title. Even in the 2012-13 season when the Grizzlies notched a 56-win record, they were trumped by the 58-win San Antonio Spurs. Memphis is still searching for their first Southwest Division title as they begin to take the rebuilding path.

Now that New Orleans has shed themselves of Davis’ contract, there are just two remaining (current) NBA All-Stars in the division. The two guys still standing are LaMarcus Aldridge of the Spurs and James Harden of the Houston Rockets. One would have to think that the Davis transaction lesses the competition for the Grizzlies within their division, right? Wrong.

Houston still has championship dreams, and with the downfall of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the Rockets probably like their chances moving into the offseason. Then you have the Spurs, who will always be tough defeat with Gregg Popovich leading the way, regardless of roster. Rounding out the Texas trio are the Dallas Mavericks, and while Dirk Nowitzki has opted for retirement, their midseason trade of Kristaps Porzingis to play alongside Luka Doncic has the potential to lift them to postseason legitimacy.

The two teams left on the table are the Grizzlies and Pelicans. Memphis finished the current season in a three-way tie with the Pelicans and Mavericks at 33-49 overall. For the time being, the three clubs are stuck in the middle — they are not terrible, but their rosters are not ready to compete for a title just yet. Especially after New Orleans completed a deal to send Davis to the Lakers, it is safe to say that all three teams are firmly situated in rebuild mode.

For Memphis and New Orleans, June 20th’s NBA Draft will be of great importance. The Grizzlies own the No. 2 overall pick while the Pelicans hold the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks. Both clubs are set to land a player(s) with incredibly high ceilings, and that wil play a large role in how the Southwest Division shapes up over the next one to three years.

With Saturday’s big trade, the Pelicans gutted the Lakers’ roster of seemingly every young player with untapped potential outside of Kyle Kuzma. Plus, New Orleans obtained the aforementioned No. 4 pick in addition to two other picks — three in total. In the early offseason, the Pelicans went from “blah” to a promising team solely because of the idea they could land top prospect Zion Williamson. Now, there is even more buzz as they just landed a few of the league’s best young players in Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart.

While all eyes will be on Davis in L.A., it is worth watching New Orleans closely, especially from Memphis’ perspective. The Pelicans have shed their star player, one who had not accomplished much team success with them since arriving in 2012.

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From an individual standpoint, Davis is a top-five talent in the entire NBA when he is healthy, but he is coming off of a career-low 56 games played in 2018-19, and only averages 66.5 games played per season. Can you blame the Pelicans for not being a better team over the past seven years?! Health (or lack thereof) is a huge factor. Now that the Lakers paid a high price for Davis and a couple top Draft picks are in New Orleans’ possession, the Pelicans have never displayed a brighter outlook since gaining their current mascot.

Now back to the Grizzlies’ outlook, on the topic of Conley, it should not surprise anyone to see the Grizzlies ahead of the Pelicans all season long in 2019-20 if they retain the 12-year veteran rather than trading him. Experience, familiarity, and chemistry are big advantages in this league. However, if Conley is dealt before the start of the season, anything — good or bad — could happen. A lot of this hinges on the return in which the Grizzlies receive for Conley, plus the side story of Jonas Valanciunas and whether or not he returns to Memphis.

All in all, NBA fans should expect to see Houston’s current reign on the Southwest Division begin to falter. The other four teams — Grizzlies, Pelicans, Mavericks, and Spurs — will be in a tight race to the top, and this season’s 33-49 three-way tie is only a prelude of things to come in a sense of stiff competition rather than abysmal record.

The Davis deal could potentially be the first domino to fall this offseason, which could trigger additional blockbuster trades and wild NBA Free Agency rumors. On top of it all, it could shake up some of June 20th’s NBA Draft selections. Just when you thought your mock draft was the winner, now it is time to redo it all. The same can be said for 2019-20 projections for the Southwest Division. It is too early to tell, but on paper, all five teams must be taken seriously.