The NBA draft has always been the primary team builder for the Grizzlies franchise as a small market team that doesn't garner the attention of free agent stars. General manager Zach Kleiman has specifically built the team almost exclusively through the draft since taking over in 2019.
Before trading Desmond Bane on Father's Day, the Grizzlies had nine players on their roster who were drafted by the organization. That number jumped to 10 when including undrafted players and 11 when adding on their two-way prospects.
While veteran leadership and wing depth are the most important additions the team needs, Kleiman made a move that gave the Grizzlies a first-round pick again in this month's draft. Past situations show that he will likely remain in the draft despite the concerns for more veterans.
The Grizzlies are likely to trade up in the first round of the draft
Since becoming the Grizzlies' general manager in 2019, Zach Kleiman has made a draft night trade every year except once in 2023. In each draft from 2019 to 2022, the Grizzlies either traded up in the first round or into the first round.
The players they acquired from these trades were Brandon Clarke (2019), Desmond Bane (2020), Ziaire Williams (2021), Santi Aldama (2021), Jake LaRavia (2022), and David Roddy (2022). Before acquiring the 16th pick in this year's draft from the Bane trade, many wondered if they would package their two late second picks to trade into the bottom of the first round again.
Now, the Grizzlies are in a position to use that pick in another package to acquire their current team needs or draft another rookie. With Kleiman's track record and the collection of future draft picks the team acquired along with this year's first, it might be too tempting for him to relinquish their first-round pick this season.
In fact, using that pick along with their seconds to trade up for a player he covets is more likely to happen than to package it for another win-now player. The Grizzlies are looking to vault themselves into contention but they have other avenues to ensure they obtain their immediate needs without giving up the first-round pick they just acquired.
Initially, losing their first-round pick that would've been lower at 18 (if the season still ended similarly) when they traded Marcus Smart was a blow to the team because of its trade value. However, with the NBA's apron rules intact, obtaining young talent is still a priority, especially for a team that isn't appealing to star players on the open market.