Memphis Took the Upside Package
Memphis acquired Josh Jackson, De'Anthony Melton and two future second-round picks from Phoenix for Jevon Carter and Kyle Korver in July 2019. Jackson was the former No. 4 pick, but Melton became the important piece. He was only 21 and had already shown defensive playmaking as a Suns rookie. The Grizzlies also added a 2020 second that would land at No. 40, while the other second was protected 36-60 in 2021 and never conveyed. Memphis gave up a useful young guard and a veteran shooter it had acquired one day earlier.
Melton Became the Center of the Win
Melton played 185 regular-season games for Memphis across three seasons, growing from a reserve defender into a 10.8-point scorer in 2021-22 while finishing eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. The Grizzlies then preserved his value in June 2022, sending him to Philadelphia for Danny Green and the draft rights to No. 23 pick David Roddy. Jackson contributed only 22 games for Memphis, so the A grade does not depend on rehabilitating the former lottery pick. It is driven mainly by Melton's production and the later asset return.
The No. 40 Pick Helped Memphis Move Up for Tillman
The 2020 second-round pick also became useful before a player ever suited up for Memphis. The pick landed at No. 40, where Robert Woodard II was selected, but Memphis traded his draft rights and a future second to Sacramento for the rights to Xavier Tillman Sr. at No. 35. Tillman became a rotation big for the Grizzlies, appearing in 59 games as a rookie and later starting 29 times in 2022-23. The original Phoenix pick was not the entire price for Tillman, but it was one of the two assets Memphis used to move up five spots.
Phoenix Still Got Real Carter Value
Phoenix's return was not empty. Carter played 118 regular-season games for the Suns over two seasons and shot 42.5 percent from three in 2019-20. He also appeared during the franchise's 2021 Finals season before Phoenix sent Carter and the rights to No. 29 pick Day'Ron Sharpe to Brooklyn for Landry Shamet. Korver was waived and later signed with Milwaukee, so he did not add Suns on-court value. Carter's useful bench run and later trade role justify the canonical C+ rather than a failing grade, but they do not match what Memphis generated from Melton and the 2020 second.
Final Verdict
Grizzlies Win — Memphis A, Phoenix C+. Memphis received 185 regular-season games from De'Anthony Melton before trading him for Danny Green and No. 23 pick David Roddy, while the incoming 2020 second became part of the move from No. 40 to No. 35 for Xavier Tillman Sr. Josh Jackson added only 22 Memphis games and the protected 2021 second did not convey, but the package still produced multiple useful layers of value. Phoenix got 118 regular-season games from Jevon Carter and later included him in the Landry Shamet trade, while Kyle Korver was waived. The completed return clearly favors Memphis.