NBA 2024 News: Suns trade Isaiah Todd to Grizzlies in off-season deal

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns were involved in an off-season trade last Thursday. The minor trade involved multiple draft picks and former highly touted prospect Isaiah Todd.

As part of the trade, the Grizzlies have acquired Todd and two first-round pick swaps (2024, 2030) from the Suns. In return, they traded away their three second-round draft picks (2025 via New Orleans Pelicans, 2028-29 via Memphis).

This trade came after the Suns acquired Todd from the Washington Wizards in a trade involving shooting guard Bradley Beal and point guard Chris Paul. As a result, the Suns now have some of the second-shortest odds to win the 2024 NBA championship, according to multiple NBA betting sites.

The Suns are currently focused on replenishing their collection of second-round picks, having traded six of them as part of the recent Bradley Beal trade, which also involved Todd while he was with Washington.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies can use their own first-round pick to acquire the Suns-Wizards’ 2024 and 2030 first-round picks. In the draft order, the Wizards would hold the 10th position, followed by the Suns at 20th and the Grizzlies at 25th.

Todd’s NBA journey

The Milwaukee Bucks initially chose Todd as the 31st overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. However, he was later traded to the Indiana Pacers and eventually ended up with the Wizards.

During the 2020-21 season, the 21-year-old forward played for the G League Ignite, making two starts in 15 games. He displayed his skills by averaging 12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 24.4 minutes per game.

In the 2021-22 season, Todd played for the Capital City Go-Go and continued to excel. Across 27 games, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 30.7 minutes per game.

Todd played 12 games for the Wizards in his rookie season in the NBA. He recorded averages of 1.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 6.2 minutes per game. However, his shooting percentages were relatively low. His scores were 26.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the foul line.

Moving into the 2022-23 season, Todd made six appearances with the Wizards. Standing at 6-foot-10, he played as a wing and averaged 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 10.2 minutes per game.

Unfortunately, his shooting accuracy dropped significantly, with only 5.8 percent from the field and 10 percent from beyond the arc.

Grizzlies’ lineup changes for 2023-24 season

The upcoming 2023-24 NBA season will transform the Grizzlies’ lineup. Unfortunately, their star player Ja Morant will be absent from the team. Morant is serving a 25-game suspension due to his second instance of brandishing a gun on social media.

To fill Morant’s spot for the first 25 games, the Grizzlies have acquired Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose. Smart, formerly Boston Celtics’ shooting guard, was traded to Memphis on June 22.

Rose returned from the Detroit Pistons to Memphis, where he played for the University of Memphis during college. He is expected to be the primary backup point guard.

The Grizzlies have also bolstered their roster through a sign-and-trade deal that brought shooting guard Joshua “Jaygup” Christopher to the team. Former Wizards point guard Tyus Jones has joined the squad, coming in the same trade as Smart.

Despite these additions, the Grizzlies had to part ways with small forward Dillon Brooks. Brooks departed to join the Houston Rockets in free agency this season.