The Memphis Grizzlies pursued a trade for Mikal Bridges both before he was dealt from the Phoenix Suns to the Brooklyn Nets and also afterwards.

Bridges is on a value contract at an annual average of $22 million and cannot become a free agent until 2026.

The Nets did not serious entertain offers for Bridges after they acquired him as part of the Kevin Durant trade with Phoenix. There will likely be many teams interested in trading for Bridges again this offseason should the Nets bring him to market.

Sources say the Grizzlies are a suitor to keep an eye on when it comes to Bridges. 

Memphis also pursued OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors.

The Memphis Grizzlies were interested in a major upgrade and pursued a number of options in a strategy that was a departure from their emphasis on the draft.

"They tried really hard [on] OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges," said Adrian Wojnarowski. "I think those kind of wing players they felt could catapult them."

The Grizzlies reportedly offered three future first round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Anunoby.

Wojnarowski has also reported that the Grizzlies could revisit those talks in the offseason.

A four-team trade between the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers is in peril following concerns over Gary Payton II's physical exam.

The Warriors ruled Payton as a failed physical and have until Saturday to through with the deal or rescind the trade.

Payton has been playing through a core muscle injury and the Blazers' training staff had been pushing him to gut through it with Toreador shots. This information had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiations.

Payton had abdominal surgery during the summer. 

“Player safety is super important to us,” said Blazers general manager Joe Cronin. “It’s a super important thing around the league. We were playing him … he had been cleared and we were confident that he was healthy when he was playing. We would not have brought him back if we thought he wasn’t healthy or if we thought he was at risk. You trust that we did the right thing, and you trust that our process was correct, and these reports, you know, I think if you knew our clearance process was proper, so I will have to rely on that.”

The Warriors sent out James Wiseman to the Pistons to acquire Payton, while Detroit traded Saddiq Bey to the Hawks for five second round picks, which were sent to Portland.

Payton has two years and $17.8 million remaining on his contract after this season.

Payton signed a three-year, $26.1 million deal with the Blazers.

The Memphis Grizzlies have been prepared since July to trade every future first round pick and pick swap to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant, sources told ESPN's Zach Lowe.

The Grizzlies, however, were unwilling to include Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. in any discussion.

Memphis also offered three first round picks to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby, sources tell Lowe. The Raptors also wanted a high-level player or prospect included in any deal for Anunoby. 

The Toronto Raptors kept OG Anunoby at the trade deadline despite considerable interest. ESPN's Bobby Marks said approximately half the league submitted offers to the Raptors for Anunoby.

Zach Lowe detailed the interest in Anunoby from the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers.

"For instance, I've heard Memphis offered three first round picks for Anunoby," said Lowe on his podcast. "But Toronto made it clear to these teams like 'we want a player too.' I don't think that sort of player was on the table at least from their view at least in Memphis.

"Indiana, I heard offered three first round picks and the Rockets' second round pick, which I believe they own in this upcoming draft. Which is almost like another first round pick.

"But again, the player chip wasn't there for Toronto and they moved to fight another day."

The Golden State Warriors also discussed a trade for Anunoby, but are not believed to have been close to discussing the details of a move.

The Golden State Warriors have joined the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies in pursuing a trade with the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby. 

Toronto has been listening to Anunoby trades for several weeks, but do not appear to be committed to dealing him by the deadline.

The Toronto Raptors continue to receive substantial interest on a trade for OG Anuoby ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets have all been linked to Anunoby in recent days.

The Raptors have maintained a "quite steep" asking price for Anuonby, who can become a free agent in 2024.

A bidding war for Anunoby is tempered by the expectation that Kevin Durant could become available this offseason.

Acquaintances of Ja Morant reportedly confronted members of the Indiana Pacers' traveling party following their game on January 29, with someone in an SUV in which Morant was riding in training a red laser on the group.

Two members of the Pacers' group, who felt like they were in "grave danger," said they did not see who was shining the laser and believe it was attached a gun.

"That’s 100 percent a gun," said a Pacers security guard at the time.

The Pacers reported the incident to the NBA, with the league probing the matter.

"While we substantiated that a postgame situation arose that was confrontational, based on interviews and other evidence gathered, we could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon,” said league spokeperson Mike Bass.

The January 29 game featured verbal confrontations between several members of the Pacers and Grizzlies, with a friend of Morant getting escorted off the court after a situation between Morant and Andrew Nembhard.

A spokesperson for the Grizzlies said that the team “complied completely with the league’s investigation and are abiding by its findings.” 

Dillon Brooks was suspended for one game and Donovan Mitchell was fined $20,000 for their altercation on Thursday during the Cleveland Cavaliers' 128-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Brooks and Mitchell were both ejected from the game during the third quarter after Brooks hit Mitchell in the groin. Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul, with Mitchell thrown out for escalating the incident.

“That’s just who he is,” said Mitchell on Brooks after the game. 

If OG Anunoby becomes available by the Toronto Raptors, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports that the New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies are among the teams that would consider a strong offer.

"If they trade OG, I think there's an auction that develops," said Windhorst. "I think you have two different types of bidders: teams that can offer draft picks and teams that can offer young players. First question: do the Raptors sell? Second question: what kind of sale is it going to be?"

Tim MacMahon added that there are teams that can offer both picks and young players. Tim Bontemps suggested the Pelicans could offer Dyson Daniels and a pick swap from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Raptors, which would be appealing. 

Based on how the Grizzlies have operated to date and valued both their core pieces and future draft picks, they are considered less likely to submit a winning offer to the Raptors for Anunoby.

Windhorst also floated the possibility of the Golden State Warriors trading for Anunoby, but there are doubts on whether their package of young players and picks would be the best offer Toronto were to receive.