[Amick, Robbins & Vardon] So … it turns out LeBron James’ opinion wasn’t an outlier after all… When players were asked which team would be at the top of their “no-trade” list, Memphis received more than three times as many votes (35.8%) as the second-place Washington Wizards (11.7%).
So … it turns out LeBron James’ opinion wasn’t an outlier after all.
Right around the time our group of reporters was wrapping up its interviews, the Lakers star made headlines when he shared his not-so-flattering view of Memphis on a podcast. And while he had unflattering things to say about Milwaukee and Cleveland (which is near his hometown of Akron, Ohio, of course) as well, it was James’ choice to suggest that the Grizzlies move to Nashville, Tenn. that really riled up the Memphians. And understandably so.
The proof is in the polling, though.
When players were asked which team would be at the top of their “no-trade” list, Memphis received more than three times as many votes as the second-place Washington Wizards.
“I’ll play anywhere, honestly,” one player explained. “But I would have to say Memphis is a place I don’t want to live. So that would be the reason why I wouldn’t want to play there.”
Said another player: “It has nothing to do with the team. It’s the location of the team.”
This feedback would seem to run counter to the perspective shared by commissioner Adam Silver in a late April podcast appearance, when he indicated that he had “never heard that issue of players not wanting to be in Memphis” while also saying “there’s no reason why the Memphis Grizzlies can’t be successful.” Silver also said that he would like it if the Grizzlies played “a few games a year in Nashville and sort of be Tennessee’s team to the extent that they can.”
So long as the Grizzlies don’t have a new arena lease agreement at FedEx Forum, where their current deal expires after the 2028-29 season, there will be questions about whether a move might be on the horizon. Those negotiations between the organization and the city have lasted far longer than was expected and remain unresolved.
The Wizards finishing second here is not a surprise. The team has not won 50 games in a season or reached the Eastern Conference finals since 1978-79. Its 17-65 record as it tanked this season likely perpetuated the losing-franchise narrative.
Washington’s current front office has attempted to change perceptions over the last three years, investing heavily in basketball-operations staffing and franchise infrastructure and overseeing a long-overdue renovation of Capital One Arena, beginning with the home and visitors’ locker rooms.
Anthony Davis, who was traded to the Wizards in February, said during a news conference last month that outside views of the franchise are inaccurate.
“I can personally say now it’s not what people think or what people make it seem,” Davis said. “Yes, the losing is part of it, so people kind of tie that with the organization. But the organization within itself is totally different from what people think they’re seeing.”
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7270363/2026/05/18/giannis-anonymous-player-poll-2026/