Grizzlies have a golden opportunity to move up in stacked 2026 NBA Draft

The Memphis Grizzlies were blessed with the third overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Going into the draft with the sixth-best odds to secure the number one overall pick, Memphis managed to jump three spots into the top three. 

Along with the number three pick, Memphis also has the 16th and 32nd overall picks in this draft. With multiple tradeable contracts and 13 first-round picks over the next seven drafts, the Grizzlies have a lot of assets at their disposal to guide this rebuild in the best direction possible. 

At the third pick, the Grizzlies are expected to select either Duke’s Cameron Boozer or North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. Both big men fill the need at the power forward position and have All-Star potential. However, outside of this pick, Memphis still has needs to address in this draft.

Getting your future point guard

All signs point to star point guard Ja Morant being traded this offseason. The draft is the best destination to get this deal done. The lottery is expected to produce multiple point guards that Memphis could hand the keys to the franchise. If Memphis can put together a trade package with Morant, the 16th pick, and a future pick for one of these teams in need of a point guard, Memphis can walk out of the NBA draft smoothly transitioning into a new era.

Five of the 14 teams in the lottery need help at either guard position. The 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 10th picks belong to the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, and Milwaukee Bucks, in that order. 

These are the teams that Memphis should be in contact with in terms of a Morant deal. The best guard in this draft is arguably Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. If the Grizzlies wish to get greedy and want to equip two bona fide All-Star talents in this draft, Acuff is the way to go. However, the Grizzlies will almost certainly have to trade up to pick five or six to get him. Which means the deal will likely have to include a complementary player like Santi Aldama or Scotty Pippen Jr., plus multiple future first-round draft picks.

Outside of Acuff Jr., there are plenty of other guards that can fill the franchise point guard role. Players such as Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Houston’s Kington Flemings, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., and Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. all have the capabilities to thrive in the league, given the correct situation. Memphis is a great place for any of these players to learn the position at an elite level. 

Trading up gives the Grizzlies a clear direction

They will have productive weapons around them to feed off of, with Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, GG Jackson II, Zach Edey, and, of course, whoever the Grizzlies choose at pick #3 between Boozer and Wilson. Most importantly, they’ll have the mentorship of Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome. Jerome has played in many different situations in his seven seasons in the league and will have a lot to teach the young guard. With Jerome as their mentor, they don’t have to be rushed into the starting point guard position. Jerome is more than capable of being a solid starting point guard until the draft pick is ready to take over the reins, allowing Jerome to fall back to his natural sixth-man position. 

If the Grizzlies want to start their rebuild on the right foot, trading up in the draft is the way to go. They could walk out of the draft with their future point guard and power forward, filling the positions left by their last superstars, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., thus providing the team with clear direction on who the franchise's future cornerstones are. 

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