On Tuesday, one of the OKC Thunder's Western Conference foes, the Memphis Grizzlies, unloaded an established star talent in an eight-player deal, as they sent forward Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz.
The big man represents a formidable piece for a rapidly developing Utah roster, but the Grizzlies might be the ones who truly won the deal, as their recent transactional history is beginning to mirror a Thunder franchise that is currently enjoying the fruits of its rebuild a few years back.
Unloading the former Defensive Player of the Year was a move that sent three future first-round picks back to Memphis, as well as a promising young talent in rookie Walter Clayton Jr.
Of course, this isn't the only star-caliber player the Grizzlies have shipped away over the past year, as Desmond Bane was sent to Orlando over the offseason.
While the Grizzlies made the playoffs just last season, they are now clearly in full rebuild mode, and it looks like they are taking pages out of Sam Presti's playbook.
Their roster is looking eerily similar to a 2020-2021 Thunder team that won just 22 games, a year removed from a playoff run.
With the latest trade, Memphis now has 13 future first-round picks, which is tied with OKC and Brooklyn for the most in the league, and they created the largest trade exception in NBA history along the way.
Grizzlies are using Thunder business model, and they aren't done yet
Memphis has shipped off two of its big three, leaving Ja Morant as the last piece they have to deal.
Once he moves cities, the Grizzlies will be solely reliant on a young core of promising talent and the league's largest handful of assets.
Players like Cedric Coward and Zach Edey are looking like the nucleus of a solid playoff contender in the future.
Like Memphis, OKC shocked many when they threw in the towel after a season that ended in a playoff berth. That rebuild, however, led to the acquisition of franchise cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and countless assets.
With the bevy of draft capital collected, OKC spent the next five years building a championship roster. Presti's franchise is now reaping the benefits of enduring a process that most teams don't have the patience to go through.
The derailment of last year's playoff roster shows that Memphis, too, is willing to play the long game.
While they may not be among the league's most competitive teams anytime soon, they now have the potential to develop into a future juggernaut.