The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of an offseason where they are thinking of every way to improve their team enough to make it back to the playoffs. Like Brooklyn, almost every team in the NBA is trying to do the same thing and one Western Conference team is trying to acquire some of Brooklyn’s depth.
Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Memphis Grizzlies expressed ‘exploratory’ interest in trading for Nets backup center Day’Ron Sharpe ahead of the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday. The Nets already have a few players that opposing teams have been interested in and now, Sharpe can be added to that list.
“The Grizzlies also expressed exploratory interest in trading for Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe at the trade deadline this past season and have now circled back again, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. With the Grizzlies looking for more center depth behind Jaren Jackson Jr., it makes sense that they’re in the market for a center to back him up.
Sharpe, 22, is coming off a 2023-24 season in which he averaged 6.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 57.1% from the field and 61.0% from the free-throw line. Sharpe has been primarily a backup since he came into the NBA as the 29th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina.
With Memphis being interested in Sharpe, it’s possible that they are willing to part with draft capital and/or young players for him, but the decision is not as easy for the Nets. Starting center Nic Claxton is an unrestricted free-agent this summer and if he leaves in free-agency, Brooklyn will need Sharpe on the roster to make up for the loss.
Either way, if the Nets are going to trade back into the Draft, they may have to part with someone like Sharpe to do it. If Brooklyn is able to get a first-round pick in this Draft, they could select a center as a way to navigate those losses.
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