The Memphis Grizzlies appear to be playing hardball with regards to Tyreke Evans.
The veteran forward has drawn trade interest from several teams — including the Boston Celtics — ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline. But according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Memphis has a hard-and-fast asking price for Evans that other clubs have yet to accept.
Sources: Memphis still holding out for a first-round pick to move Tyreke Evans — and Boston, Denver and Philadelphia have resisted offers beyond either a young player or a second-rounder. First-rounders have never been gripped so tightly in the league
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2018
The Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers currently are the three “frontrunners” for Evans, according to Wojnarowski’s Tuesday report. But the 28-year-old is one of the few players reportedly available for a trade — especially with Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams now off the market — so the Grizzlies can afford to jack up his price tag a bit.
Boston reportedly has made guard Marcus Smart available while seeking a first-round pick in return so the C’s, in theory, could flip that pick to land Evans. However, a Boston Herald report Wednesday suggested the Celtics would hesitate to deal Smart for a rental player, and Evans falls under that category, as his contract expires after the season.
Perhaps the lowly Grizzlies will meet one of these three teams in the middle to net at least some assets for Evans, but as it stands now, Memphis and its potential trade partners appear to be at an impasse.
