Grizzlies' history suggests more moves could come during NBA draft – The Commercial Appeal

NBA history has shown there are multiple pathways to success. Some teams rely on the draft, while others use free agency and trades to build contenders.
The Memphis Grizzlies have found success through all of those methods. During the Core Four era, Tony Allen, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph were acquired through trades, while Mike Conley was drafted. Gasol technically began his NBA career with the Grizzlies after being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Years later, Memphis drafted Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant and Desmond Bane to form a young core that peaked with a franchise-record-tying 56 wins in 2022.
The most realistic path to sustained success in Memphis has traditionally come through the draft. And recent collective bargaining agreement changes have made it more difficult to build a winner through ways other than the draft.
Current general manager Zach Kleiman took over in 2019, and several clear themes have emerged in his strategy. Memphis is widely regarded as one of the league’s better drafting organizations, but the next step is turning a high volume of solid contributors into more star-level talent.
The Grizzlies enter this year’s draft with picks No. 3, No. 16 and No. 32. Whether they will stay put at each spot is now one of the biggest questions facing the franchise. History under Kleiman points strongly toward a specific answer.
Activity has never been an issue under Kleiman.
After selecting Morant with the No. 2 overall pick in 2019, Memphis has finished with a lottery pick only one other time before this year. That came in 2024, when the Grizzlies selected Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick.
In 2020, they traded two future second-round picks to acquire the No. 30 selection, which they used to draft Bane.
The following year featured even more draft-night maneuvering. They traded up from No. 17 to No. 10 to select Ziaire Williams, then sent three future second-round picks to move into the final pick of the first round and draft Santi Aldama.
The Grizzlies remained aggressive in 2022, making separate first-round trades to acquire Jake LaRavia and David Roddy. In 2023, they traded the No. 25 pick as part of the deal that brought Marcus Smart to Memphis.
Memphis again moved up in 2025, trading from No. 16 to No. 11 to acquire the rights to Cedric Coward.
During Kleiman’s tenure, the Grizzlies have never stayed put with a non-lottery first-round pick. Each of the past five non-lottery first-round selections have been involved in a trade.
Before Kleiman, they had not traded any of their previous seven non-lottery first-round picks.
The activity has been nearly as aggressive in the second round, where Memphis has developed a strong track record.
Javon Small put together an impressive rookie season. Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson are recent second-round selections who both earned NBA All-Rookie honors.
This year’s situation is somewhat different because the Grizzlies hold the No. 32 pick, just outside the first round. Memphis has had only two top-40 second-round picks during Kleiman’s tenure.
The Grizzlies traded up from No. 40 to No. 35 in one draft and selected Wells at No. 39 in 2024.
The No. 3 pick has the potential to alter the trajectory of the franchise. After that, nearly every option appears to be on the table.
If Memphis stays at No. 16, it would mark the first time under Kleiman that the team has used a non-lottery first-round pick without moving it in some form of trade. A move up the board could involve packaging No. 16 with future draft capital.
The Grizzlies previously jumped into the back end of the first round to acquire both Bane and Aldama. The landscape is different now with the event spread across two days, creating additional flexibility for front offices.
Memphis could once again be aggressive and move up the board. Or it could use the extra time between rounds to evaluate opportunities and remain patient with the second pick of the night.
Either way, Kleiman’s history suggests standing still is the least likely outcome.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

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