Throughout the decade, the Memphis Grizzlies have either struck out on picks then traded them or sold it before draft night. This has ultimately hurt this team.
It’s easy to highlight the Memphis Grizzlies’ draft mistakes. They had star big man Kevin Love then flipped him for OJ Mayo, a player that everyone thought was going to be a superstar player. Then, they drafted Hasheem Thabeet, passing on two perennial MVP candidates in James Harden and the Steph Curry. They also decided drafted Tony Wroten, an unproven, raw point guard with “potential,” while their “runner-up” Draymond Green continued to slide down the draft boards.
The draft mistakes that no one talks about is the fact that they’ve traded first-round draft picks like they’re Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. In 2011, they attached a 2013 first-round draft pick to Hasheem Thabeet for a half-season rental on Shane Battier. As part of the infamous trade for Jon Leuer, they threw in a draft pick that will be surrendered in this year’s draft. Then, the Memphis Grizzlies donated a protected 2019 pick (unprotected by 2021) to the “Danny Ainge Draft Pick Foundation” to land Jeff Green.
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There are plenty of ways that this strategy has hurt the Grizzlies. They’ve missed out on guys like Rudy Gobert and could lose a chance on nabbing a big-time prospect in coming drafts. However, they’ve also erased any chances to realistically pull together a blockbuster trade for a star. Trades are all about assets, and the Memphis Grizzlies don’t have any because of poor decision-making.
Why it really hurts
Hypothetically, let’s say the Memphis Grizzlies made the right picks. Instead of Mayo, Thabeet and Wroten, they have Curry, Love and Green. For starters, they’d have the makings of a superteam, but they’d also have something very important: assets.
Being completely honest, this would put Mike Conley on the trading block. It’d also lead to them putting Love or Green on the trading block. Through some of these trades, they could’ve acquired pieces for a solid bench or for a blockbuster trade, or they could’ve freed cap space for a final piece. They also would’ve never had an incentive to trade draft picks and would’ve had cheap depth and assets for a trade.
Let’s roll with this hypothetical scenario:
Starting 5: Steph Curry, Tony Allen, Draymond Green, Kevin Love and Marc Gasol.
The Memphis Grizzlies fall in the Conference Finals or Finals and need another piece to win it all.
Insert Paul George or Jimmy Butler. The Grizzlies could realistically flip Kevin Love, this year’s draft pick and a 2019 draft pick for Jimmy Butler or Paul George. In the process, you build a legitimate championship contender.
Next: 5 Worst Picks in Franchise History
Yes, it’s all about “could have’s” and “should have’s,” but it doesn’t erase the fact that the Memphis Grizzlies shouldn’t have traded their draft picks. Especially for players that couldn’t push the needle enough to become title contenders.