Despite finishing with the seventh-worst record in the association at 27-55, Zach Kleiman and company find themselves holding the rights to the ninth overall selection in the upcoming festivities.
Though in most years, possessing a top-10 lottery pick is considered to be a lavish luxury, being this year’s class is already heralded as one of the weakest in recent memory, there are many, including the Grizzlies themselves, who believe such an asset would be best served as a trade chip.
Players worth Grizzlies trading No. 9 NBA Draft pick for
Already this offseason, the rumor mill has been churning quite frequently concerning ideas about how Memphis could best utilize their lottery selection in a deal, and, when looking at the players that have been mentioned as possible targets in such a hypothetical exchange, there are a few, in particular, that could prove to be well worth the No. 9 pick’s departure.
Nic Claxton
From his particular rim-protecting and rim-running style of play to his ties to superstar guard Ja Morant, for quite some time now Nic Claxton has been a player linked as a possible offseason target for the Grizzlies.
After posting yet another quality campaign with the Brooklyn Nets, one where he averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks on 62.9 percent shooting from the field, the 25-year-old finds himself heading into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and is expected to garner quite a ton of attention on the open market.
Based on recent rumblings, many expect the center to re-sign with the Nets this summer, with some such as the New York Post’s Brian Lewis reporting that he “might not ever even hit the open market.”
However, considering Brooklyn is coming off such a pedestrian season where they finished 32-50 while literally trying to be good in the weak Eastern Conference and have no high-end draft rights to show for their misfortunes due to poor trades over the past few seasons, perhaps the idea of starting fresh with new and young faces could be enough to convince them to hit the reset button.
In order to pry a guy like Claxton away from the borough via sign-and-trade, it would undoubtedly have to cost the Grizzlies their ninth overall selection in this year’s draft and then probably another pick or two in future classes on top of it.
Though it may seem like a steep asking price, with his enviable age along with his ideal skill set for what Memphis covets in a center (rebounding, rim protection, running out on fast breaks, etc.), coughing up such assets could be well worth it for a guy like Claxton.
Donovan Clingan
The most noteworthy talking point regarding Memphis’ interest in trading their ninth overall pick came via a report by The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor earlier this month where he revealed that the franchise has already communicated with the Houston Rockets about a potential deal that would have them move up to the fifth spot on the draft board, with many believing it to be an effort to snatch up UConn prospect Donovan Clingan.
Considering his 7-foot-2, 280-pound build and play style, in many ways, the 20-year-old presents himself as the ideal archetype for the Grizzlies’ next franchise center.
The highly buzzed-about prospect finds himself coming off his second and final season at the collegiate level where he recorded averages of 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks while leading the Wildcats to their second-straight NCAA Championship.
Frequently drawing comparisons to past and present NBA All-Stars such as Roy Hibbert and Rudy Gobert, Clingan projects to be a physically imposing paint protector and shot rejector, which, on a team already sporting finesse talents and high-octane scorers like Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr., may be exactly what the Grizzlies need to add to their starting lineup.
Layer on the fact that recent intel suggests his long-range shooting game has been turning heads during his individual pre-draft workouts, and it should be a no-brainer idea that the Grizzlies would consider coughing up their ninth overall pick in exchange for his services.
Jarrett Allen
Of all the players mentioned here today, not only is Jarrett Allen the most accomplished player at this point in time, but also boasts a game that would immediately lift the cellar-dweller Grizzlies back up to championship-contender status.
Since his first full season with the Cavaliers back in 2021, Allen has found himself producing to the tune of 15.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting a highly efficient 64.9 percent from the floor and boasting a defensive rating of 108.
The seven-year pro has established himself as one of the game’s top rim protectors and interior defenders. He has placed highly within three separate Defensive Player of the Year races and has earned an All-Star nod for his production along the way.
In 2023-24, Allen had arguably his best campaign to date, as he wrapped up the season with stellar averages of 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks through 77 outings all while shooting a highly efficient 63.4 percent from the field and registered a career-best 10.7 win shares while guiding the Cavaliers to a fourth-seed finish with a record of 48-34 and to their first semifinal appearance since 2018.
Despite all these successes and presumed unwillingness for the team to split up this core, however, rumor has it that the star center has been generating quite a bit of interest around the league as being a potential offseason blockbuster trade target.
Though Cleveland has hinted that they are not actually interested in moving Allen, the Grizzlies should still keep a close eye on the situation, as offering up a package involving this year’s ninth overall pick should be of serious interest to Kleiman and company.
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