NBA Draft: R.J. Barrett Wants to Be Skipped By Memphis Grizzlies at No. 2

Duke’s R.J. Barrett is in luck considering the Memphis Grizzlies have made up their minds with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The 2019 NBA Draft is one month away, but the Memphis Grizzlies have already decided upon who they will select with the No. 2 overall pick. They want Murray State’s Ja Morant, not Duke’s R.J. Barrett.

This is not a surprise if you take a look at any credible NBA mock draft. Morant and Barrett have fallen two and three, respectively, for much of the 2018-19 college hoops season. Both players are young, but very talented. Though Ja and R.J. play different positions, Morant is the one labeled as a sure-fire star in the making, while Barrett is considered to be more of a raw talent.

At the NBA Draft Lottery, the Memphis Grizzlies became incredibly lucky, leaping from the expected eighth spot all the way to the second position. Rather than conveying their pick to the Boston Celtics — where they had a 42.5% chance of doing so — they achieved the unthinkable. A 26.3% chance of a top-four pick actually happened and the Grizzlies surprised themselves by landing the No. 2 spot.

Memphis is entering a new era in a major way. They will have a new head coach, which has not yet been named. They have also restructured their Front Office, and is more of a group collaboration style of operation rather than a sole proprietorship of sorts. Though it has just moved past the one-month mark since the end of the 2018-19 regular season, things are going pretty well for the Grizzlies franchise.

Assuming Memphis sticks to their word and selects Ja Morant with the No. 2 overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, this will be music to R.J. Barrett’s ears. Yes, he will be losing money by going third or fourth overall rather than second. He is just giving the cold shoulder to Memphis. Per The New York Times‘ Marc Berman:

"“According to an NBA source, the 6-foot-7 Duke swingman prefers if he drops past Memphis, to No. 3 or No. 4, to get to play with either the Knicks or Lakers.”"

So why does R.J. Barrett want to get skipped by the Memphis Grizzlies? Is he crazy?

Of the Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers, Barrett’s opinions should not at all be based off of regular season success. These three teams finished 23rd, 30th (last), and 20th, respectively, in the 2018-19 NBA season standings. His reasoning is likely due to market size and playing role/minutes allotment.

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R.J. Barrett has always been in the spotlight. High school. College. Even now in the NBA Draft process. He is a big name even at just 18 years of age. Barrett has accumulated quite a lot of popularity, thus being a highly-touted prospect.

This type of player wants marketability to be in their favor. The Memphis Grizzlies are a small-market NBA team and are always being overlooked. Look at Mike Conley and his zero NBA All-Star appearances despite playoff and individual success over the course of 12 seasons. Barrett — and others — do not want to fall into this trap. New York or Los Angeles would provide such large opportunities to become global basketball icons.

When you calculate Barrett’s role/minutes into the equation, New York and L.A. offer better situations compared to Memphis. Nearly one year ago, the Grizzlies signed restricted free-agent Kyle Anderson to a four-year, $37 million deal, and this investment of theirs is their starting fixture at the small forward position — exactly the same spot where R.J. would be logging minutes.

For the first time in his career, R.J. Barrett would be coming off the bench. You could make the argument that he would be the starter in this scenario, but even then, the minutes would be split evenly between him and Anderson, especially considering how well Kyle was a facilitator on offense and a workhorse on defense.

If Barrett’s goal is to quickly become the face of an NBA franchise, then he is right again. Memphis is not the landing spot for his services. The Grizzlies have Jaren Jackson Jr. in that spot once Mike Conley’s time in a Grizzly uniform officially comes to a close. Plus, Ja Morant contains the same — if not more — potential to be the biggest name/face on the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster if and when his journey with the Grizz takes place.

Rather than a dig at the Memphis Grizzlies, R.J. Barrett likely realizes the Knicks and/or Lakers offer better situations for his entrance into the association. He would probably have bigger odds of receiving rookie-year struggles by landing in Memphis. Plus, he does not necessarily offer components in which the Grizzlies desperately need right away. This cannot be said of Ja Morant, thus Memphis’ confidence in taking the Murray State product with the No. 2 overall pick on June 20th.