The Memphis Grizzlies continued to reshape their roster with another trade this offseason.
Memphis and the Boston Celtics came together for a deal that swapped a pair of recently acquired players.
This move tinkers on the edges of the roster for both teams considering the bit players in the deal.
In the trade, the Grizzlies shipped forward Juancho Hernangomez to Boston for guards Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards and the right to swap 2026 second-round selections.
BREAKING TRADE: Grizzlies have traded Juancho Hernangomez to Boston for Kris Dunn, Carsen Edwards, & a 2026 2nd round pick swap.
Who won the deal? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/29kwklCZVy
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) September 3, 2021
For Dunn and Hernangomez, this deal represents the second in which they’ve been involved this offseason.
The trade can’t be completed until September 15 when the aggregation restriction on Dunn lifts after the previous deal he was a part of.
Memphis Continues Roster Clutter
The Grizzlies continue to churn the backend of their roster, and still have work to do before the start of next season.
After agreeing to a buyout with Rajon Rondo, the team now adds another pair of guards, which pushes their roster count to 20, including 18 guaranteed deals, three more than the NBA’s maximum allowed.
The additions of Dunn and Edwards clutters the team’s crowded backcourt even further.
It’s hard to envision a role for either next season, considering Memphis already sports reserves in Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, and De’Anthony Melton to back up starters Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant.
Of the two, Dunn might be better suited for a role given his size (6-foot-4) and ability to defend when fully healthy.
The undersized Edwards has done little of note in his two NBA seasons.
The real benefit for the Grizzlies here might be saving some money and receiving a potentially better second-round selection in the coming draft.
Memphis will save $225k on this trade and gets a pick swap of (better of Indy or Miami) with Boston, which is … something. Thought Juancho could have helped if he made shots. Dunn can really defend (if knee is ok) but is yet another 6-4 guard; he might not be there for long.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) September 3, 2021
Both Dunn and Edwards hold expiring contracts, so Memphis shoulders no long-term money.
Boston Trying To Solve Roster Puzzle
The Celtics managed to clear a roster spot in this two-for-one deal.
Before agreeing to this swap, Boston carried 16 players on their roster, including 15 on fully guaranteed deals.
This move provides the team with a measure of flexibility and simplifies the backcourt logjam.
Following the Celtics acquisition of Dunn earlier in the offseason, the team added both Josh Richardson and Dennis Schröder.
Hernangomez’s arrival in Boston provides the Celtics with another floor spacing option, especially if he can regain his stroke from 2020.
Hernangomez gives the Celtics another potential floor-spacer in a bench role; Grizzlies continue to find some value in margins and will continue to be open to deals as franchise manages a roster numbers crunch ahead of 2021-2022 season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2021
Hernangomez, meanwhile, finds himself part of a third different deal in less than two seasons.
In 2020, Hernangomez was part of the complicated four-team trade that saw Clint Capela go to Atlanta and Robert Covington go to the Houston Rockets.
With Minnesota, Hernangomez couldn’t seem to build on his solid initial run with the team.
After the trade that landed him with the Timberwolves, Hernangomez started all 14 games that he played.
He averaged 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, netting 42.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
In his second season with Minnesota, though, Hernangomez struggled.
He started just six of the 52 games played, with his minutes cut from 29.4 to 17.3 per contest.
Hernangomez scored 7.2 points per game, grabbing 3.9 rebounds, and shot just 32.7 percent from three.
Despite a down year last season, Hernangomez made over 35 percent of his corner threes, which will help in Boston.
Since Hernangomez’s 2022-23 salary is non-guaranteed, the Celtics aren’t taking on long-term salary.
Hernangomez now enters a training camp battle in Boston with Jabari Parker for a spot with the Celtics.
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