Randolph
The Grizzlies are talking to a number of teams, with several players on their roster potentially in the mix. The three Griz names we're hearing the most are O.J. Mayo, Hasheem Thabeet and, to a lesser extent, Zach Randolph. But with Memphis poised to overtake the now-depleted Nuggets (and possibly the Jazz) as the seventh or eighth seed in the West, it may now be hesitant to make a deal.
One interesting tidbit from a source in Memphis: Last week Sam Smith of Bulls.com floated a potential Randolph-to-Magic deal. While it's unclear if it was actually proposed, I was told that, internally, the Grizzlies have discussed sending Randolph to Orlando for Brandon Bass and Jason Richardson. The thinking in Memphis is that the deal would keep the Grizzlies competitive this season while also giving them a young power forward for the future. Randolph is an unrestricted free agent this summer and it isn't clear if the Grizzlies can afford to keep him, while Bass is due $4 million next season and has a $4 million player option in 2012-13.
If the Grizzlies or Magic make the offer -- still a big if at this point -- would the Magic bite? Smith's report cited Magic interest, but from what I can gather, Orlando has never made an offer. Randolph would give the Magic a great low-post scorer, but losing Richardson would be a big blow. With the Nets likely to waive Troy Murphy, perhaps Murphy is a cheaper and less risky long-term option for Orlando.
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