Grayson Allen trade: Memphis sends former Duke star to NBA champs

Grayson Allen was one of the most memorable characters to play at Duke, and that’s saying something.

On Friday, ESPN reported the Memphis Grizzlies traded Allen to the Milwaukee Bucks. In return, Memphis receives two future second-round picks and guard Sam Merrill.

Memphis is trading guard Grayson Allen to Milwaukee for Sam Merrill and two future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 6, 2021

Merrill was the 60th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and averaged just three points and one rebound per game for the defending NBA champions.

Meanwhile, Allen is coming off his best statistical year since getting drafted in 2018.

The 25-year-old set career highs in points (10.6), rebounds (3.2) and assists (2.2) per game this season for a Memphis team that advanced from the play-in tournament to become the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

A deeper dive into the deal

ESPN Senior Writer Kevin Pelton took a deeper dive into the deal, assigning grades to both Memphis and Milwaukee.

After the Bucks won the NBA title while making just 32% of their 3-pointers, they’ve made adding shooting a priority this offseason. Milwaukee brought back guard George Hill, who led the NBA by making 46% of his 3s for the Bucks in 2019-20, and now adds a 38% career 3-point shooter in Allen.

Pelton went on to mention the loss of Bryn Forbes, who netted 45% from beyond the arc as a bench shooter for the Bucks during their championship run. Forbes left for San Antonio in free agency.

Allen is viewed as an instant upgrade, filling a necessary void if Milwaukee is going to attempt to repeat last season’s magic.

“Compared to Forbes, Allen offers more size at 6-foot-4 and more defensive toughness,” Pelton noted. “He certainly won’t be confused with a stopper and has never played beyond the first round of the playoffs (last season in Memphis, he averaged 23.2 MPG in five games) but the Bucks can at least hope Allen is more playable in the postseason.”

Allen trade expensive for Bucks

The other part of the trade discussed in NBA circles comes down to money and the decision to let veteran PJ Tucker walk. Tucker, a key piece in the locker room during the NBA title run, signed with the Miami Heat on the first day of free agency.

“Because Milwaukee had a trade exception left from the deadline trade that brought P.J. Tucker to the Bucks, it’s able to take on Allen’s salary while sending out only the minimum contract of Merrill in return,” Pelton said. “It’s interesting to note that Milwaukee will end up paying Allen and Hill nearly as much as it would have Tucker and another player signed for the veteran’s minimum. That strengthens my feeling the decision to let Tucker go was less about money and more about choosing better shooting over Tucker’s physical defense.”

Why did Memphis move on from Allen?

Allen played a pivotal role for Memphis last season, but several league experts have reported the former Duke guard wasn’t in the Grizzlies’ future plans. Kyle Anderson and Dillon Brooks are expected to help fill the void left by Allen.

“More than anything, this is an acknowledgment that Allen wasn’t in the Grizzlies’ long-term plans after his rookie contract expires and an attempt to get value for him now,” ESPN reported.