Memphis Grizzlies: Key Games In Their Race To Convey The Pick In 2019 NBA Draft

The Memphis Grizzlies are on a late-season rally to convey their owed first-rounder to Boston in the 2019 NBA Draft. Here are the games to keep an eye on down the stretch:

What looked like another lost season for the Memphis Grizzlies has suddenly taken on new meaning. Memphis has been treading water since the trade deadline and thus aiming to convey their 2019 first-rounder in the NBA Draft, which is owed to the Boston Celtics.

The rationale behind this move is simple: shed the obligation to the Celtics while Memphis still has Mike Conley‘s services. Then the Grizzlies can deal him in the near future, bottom out and be really bad, without fear of giving Boston a more valuable pick.

Their 2019 pick is top-8 protected, putting Memphis in a dogfight to finish with the league’s ninth-worst, or better, record – and thus the best odds to convey. They currently sit seventh-worst, within striking distance of the Pelicans and Wizards.

This puts them in decent shape to convey the pick this year, with a close-to-average remaining schedule strength, and rare impetus to win for a late-season lottery team. Every game will count down the stretch, but here are the matchups Grizzlies fans should be eyeing keenly:

March 16, @ Washington Wizards

The next game on the Grizzlies’ slate is perhaps their most pivotal. Memphis trails the Washington Wizards by a single game, meaning a win could have a “Gamebreaker“-type effect on the lottery standings.

Despite losing John Wall for the season and trading Otto Porter, the Wizards have stayed even-keel, with a comfy cushion between them and the East’s basement. Bradley Beal has put the team on his back with stellar all-around play; Avery Bradley clamping down on him could be the biggest key to victory.

An added subplot to this game is Memphis seeking a revenge win against Jeff Green, whose 2015 acquisition is the reason they’re in this mess, to begin with.

March 18, New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks

While Memphis is off on this particular evening, the Grizzlies and their fans should be attentive to this matchup and its implications for their short-term gameplan.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks are currently sandwiching Memphis in the Western Conference standings. Just two games separate all three teams. This showdown, at this point, carries the biggest implications of any non-Memphis matchup left on the slate.

Any outcome will be a mixed bag; a Dallas win means they gain ground on Memphis, a New Orleans win pulls them further ahead. But with the Mavericks in a 1-9 free-fall over their past ten, the Grizzlies may need an Anthony Davis DNP to gain ground on the Pels.

March 22, @ Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are one of the NBA’s most overdue rebuilding projects. “Call Me Maybe” was a #1 hit more recently than Orlando was last in the postseason.

They’re currently closer to the playoffs than they’ve been since trading Dwight Howard; 1.5 games back of 8th-place Miami. It thus stands to reason that they’ll be among the teams trying the hardest down the stretch.

On paper, this looks like a should-win for Memphis, vs a sub-.500 East team they match up well with. But both teams will be rested, the Grizzlies are on the road, and the Magic’s playoff desperation could kick them into another gear.

March 30, @ Phoenix Suns

Another grossly stalled rebuilding project, the Phoenix Suns are further impeding their own progress. Rather than play through the motions and tank it up, Phoenix has reeled off five wins in eight games, including Ws over the top team in each conference.

As a result, they’re threatening to fall out of the triad with equally-best odds of winning the Zion Williamson sweepstakes.

Hopefully, they’ll have realized this by March 30 when they face Memphis. The Suns that lost 17 straight a few weeks ago would be easier out than the version we’ve seen since then.

April 5 & 7, Home-n-Home w/ Dallas Mavericks

It’s already been stressed how close the Grizzlies and Mavs are in the standings, and this back-to-back tilt could serve up two gimmes for Memphis to pounce on.

See, the Mavs are artful tankers; they did an amazing job as chameleons among the NBA’s worst teams last season. Now, they have every incentive to tank and nab a top-5 pick, protecting their obligation to Atlanta from the star-crossed Luka Doncic/Trae Young deal.

Dallas will then nab another high lottery pick, enter free agency with oodles of cap space, add Kristaps Porzingis, and almost certainly give Atlanta a much worse pick next year.

Thus, their objective for the rest of this season should be to roll over and die, which they have been doing effectively. Even if Dallas continues to plummet further from Memphis, the Grizzlies need to take advantage of two extremely winnable games here.