Zach Randolph loves playing and living in Memphis, which is why he's not thrilled to see his name popping up in trade rumors.
Zach Randolph: ‘There’s no loyalty in the NBA’
Z-Bo gets the way the NBA works. He’s still not happy about it.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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The two-time NBA All-Star told NBA.com's Fran Blinebury that he "would definitely like to retire in Memphis," but would hold no ill will to the Grizzlies if they traded him. Blinebury mentioned that his name had been floated with one of the NBA's most popular trade rumor subjects: the Pelicans' Ryan Anderson.
"I look at it like this: I understand it's a business. I really do understand that. This is a small market team and money plays a factor. I understand all that.
[...]
But yeah, it bothers me. It hurts a little bit. I can't deny that. But it goes to show you that there ain't no loyalty in this game. It seems like you only get loyalty in certain organizations. You see it in winning organizations like the Spurs, the Lakers, the Heat.
"The truth is there ain't no loyalty or love, except in certain organizations where they keep players around, value them."
Randolph has had an up and down season, but he’s shown flashes of the form that has allowed him to carry the Grizzlies deep in the playoffs the last few seasons. He’s averaging 15.8 points and 9.2 rebounds and is shooting 47.5 percent from the field.
Marc Gasol has been injured, as have several other Grizzlies that are key to their playoff chances. Gasol has missed the Grizzlies' last nine games and will be out for a while longer with an MCL sprain. The Grizzlies are 10-12 and in 12th place in the Western Conference, and Randolph, 32, can opt out of his contract at the end of the season.
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