Stephen A. Smith believes the Memphis Grizzlies would have a difficult time attracting star players if they looked to make more significant trades this summer, but not for the reasons you might think.
The Grizzlies made a major change last week when they sent Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, and there has been a lot of talk about them reshaping their roster in other ways. Smith discussed that possibility during Tuesday morning’s edition of “First Take.”
Smith said Memphis is a “great sports town” with “great fans” and “great people.” However, he claimed players around the NBA have told him they would be concerned for their safety if they played for the Grizzlies.
“There’s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler don’t feel it’s the safest environment,” Smith said. “I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis: You gotta clean some of that stuff up, because it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They told me.”
"You gonna tell folks why nobody wants to be in Memphis? Or you want me to do it?"
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 17, 2025
"Cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis." – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/qD9UjV5ZV4
Memphis has a high crime rate, but the same is true for many other cities across the United States that have NBA franchises. Cities like Detroit, New Orleans and Cleveland also rank among the most dangerous in the U.S. when looking at the violent crime rate. Los Angeles and Miami also have higher violent crime rates than the national average and many other NBA cities, but the Lakers, Clippers and Heat do not seem to have trouble attracting star players.
NBA players make millions of dollars. They don’t have to hang out in the dangerous parts of major cities, and most live in extremely safe gated communities in the suburbs.
The Grizzlies are a small-market team with very little history. Those are likely much bigger considerations for star players than how safe they would feel walking the streets of Memphis.
Some have wondered if the Grizzlies could look to trade Ja Morant, who has generated headlines for the wrong reasons on numerous occasions. If they do that, they may have a difficult time replacing him with another star. We doubt safety concerns would be a significant factor, however.
