Sixers deal Marreese Speights
According to a league source, the Sixers will trade forward Marreese Speights today to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Sixers deal Marreese Speights
Bob Cooney
UPDATED: The three-team trade is official.
Here are reactions from those involved:
Marreese Speights: "I feel real good about it. I got a fresh start so just get back on the ground and be prepared to play. I know they’re (Memphis) a lot like us. They have a good coach in coach (Lionel) Hollins. I know them a little, they have coach (Henry) Bibby, who used to coach here a little bit.
Speights on what it will be like going to a new team: "I really don’t know. This is my fourth year in the league and I’ve been with the same core of guys, so it’s going to be hard to leave them, but it’s a job and I’m going to a new situation."
Doug Collins: "Any time you make a trade, for me as a coach, it’s a tough thing. I probably invested as much time and energy in Mo as any player. When I took over the job, myself and Michael Curry, we just really tried to connect and try to get the best of him because we know how talented he is. For whatever reason I just wasn’t able to get the best (out of him).
"He is incredibly talented. I want Mo to go to Memphis and I want him to play great there. I want them to sign him to a contract and I want him to do well and he knows that. Hopefully this will be a new start for him. I feel badly that I couldn’t get the best out of him. I think its fair to him to be able to go and get a new start.
"Hopefully he’ll get into the rotation. He’s going to a great spot, a playoff team. I feel good in that we piut him in a good position and I hope he does well."
Rod Thorn: “We wish Marreese all the best as he starts a new chapter in his career with Memphis. This trade will give us additional assets moving forward, including a trade exception, which will help us as we look to continue to improve our team.”
FROM EARLIER
NEW ORLEANS -- Sixers forward Marreese Speights will be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal that would bring the Sixers a pair of second-round draft picks, a league source told the Daily News.
The deal has to be approved by the league, the source said, with a conference call likely taking place this afternoon.
The Sixers would trade Speights to the Memphis Grizzlies in return for their second-round draft pick in June's draft, provided it is pick 31-55. That means the Sixers wouldn't get the pick if the Grizzlies finish as one of the top four teams in the league. So it's a pretty safe bet they'll get that pick.
The Sixers would also get New Orleans' second-round pick in 2013 as part of the deal.
New Orleans would get guard Xavier Henry from Memphis. Henry has not appeared in any games this season because of torn ligaments in his ankle.
"I love my time in Philly. Y'all are some good fans I had a great time here. Love y'all. #showyaluv phillynation," Speights tweeted.
Said CEO Adam Aron via Twitter: "He wasn't getting playing time here and we got two draft choices back. We wish him well."
The Grizzlies have been looking for frontcourt depth and are in an even great need after news that Zach Randolph will be out 8 weeks. An MRI showed that he suffered a slight tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee when teammate O.J. Mayo fell on him during Sunday's loss to Chicago.
Speights has not seen any action thus far in the Sixers' four games. He played in only 39 games last season, averaging 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.5 minutes. In his 3-year career, he is averaging 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.
A very good offensive player, Speights has struggled with his defense throughout his career. He was selected as the 16th pick in the draft out of Florida in 2008.
More to come
Comment removed.
He's worthless, at least to the Sixers. The NBA is full of high school/college "stars" who can provide some points off the bench, but who are complete liabilities in every other aspect of the game. The Sixers have multiple scoring options from the bench who also provide other benefits. Speights is simply unwilling to work on any other part of his game besides scoring. I think they cashed in pretty well getting two 2nd round picks for him. I wouldn't have given even one pick. All I would've given for Speights is a bad contract I'd like to dump. Awesome move by a team heading in the right direction.— HorshamGuy- Eddie Jordan's Lizard Face...lol— kjuggs77
- Dido VegasBaby. Sometimes the NBA focuses on what players can't do rather than what they can do. A quality offensive big man is hard to find. Teams miss the point that the system does not make the players, the players make the system. The sickers want us to believe that Spencer Hawes is sufficient. Hawes makes the point-- he is a less than adequate offensive big man. He is not a great defensive player. He can pass the ball and he will rebound. Those are his strengths. He has developed with playing time. Mo Speights is a young kid who will learn to play defense with more time on the court. You can find Spencer Hawes any day in America. Its very hard to find a polished big man! Unbelievable. Great start for the new owners! They are demonstrating that the same bankrupt thinking can carry over from one owner to another. This is why the sickers will be a middle of the road NBA team for the foreseeable future.— reveugene
- Wish we could've made out better on the return deals, but makes room for the other guys, and we did'nt need another guy that only plays when the ball is in his hands.— Lesj
buy out noc in march..— combocancer1975- Better than the expected bag of practice balls. Great job Rod! Keep going.— Relocator
Umm..Speights wasn't a Stefanski pick billro33 he was Billy King's final draft pick. He showed flashes and wasn't necessarily a bad pick as I remember it things just didn't work out here and he's not a Collins type player. I think letting him go for a 2nd rounder is a mistake but I guess they need the roster space and he's not going to play so whatever.- Sorry...Mo was drafted in June of 08...Stefanski was the GM...he signed Brand like 10 days later. — bearsfriend
- What a waste of a jock strap and a pair of sneakers— rugbyjt
- how polished can he be if he has no post game, no defense, and no passing skills. he's a great shooter for a guy his size but he gives up as much if not more than he scores and is obviously too lazy to do anything to change that. how can you win with a guy like that? yes they could have gotten a body to throw in there but i'm not complaining about getting rid of someone like speights when you're trying to emphasize toughness and hard work to a young team. we traded someone who wasn't playing for 2 picks and more cap space which will give us room to bring someone else in. like a couple other people have said, don't judge this trade until you see how they use the picks and the $.— 76ers in 2076
- Now who are the court sweepers and ball boys going to chat with during timeouts? Every time Collins called a timeout, it always gave Speights a chance to get off the bench and get away from all of that jibber-jabber in the huddle and catch up with the fellas.— Melvin Finkelstein
- Oh, please, "a quality offensive big man"; are we taking Walton in his prime here? The kid wasn't going to play in Philly; hopefully, he has a career in the league.— JBinPA
- The trade is good for the sixers. Were do you guys come up with this stuff what if the grizzlies end up being in the top 4 teams in the league. The only way that MIGHT happen is if the go to the dleague. As of today they arent in the top 8 of the west!— ryle57
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
