The Memphis Grizzlies were sitting on cloud nine on the first night of the draft after trading up in the first round once again to select a player they viewed as their guy. Cedric Coward received a lot of praise during the scouting process and was selected by the Grizzlies with the 11th overall pick of the draft last night.
Memphis entered the second round with two draft picks in the latter half of the round and spent the first on West Virginia guard Javon Small. The 6'2" guard led the Mountaineers in points (18.6), assists (5.6), and minutes (36.1) per game last season, and will join a backcourt that needed additional ball handlers.
While the need for ball handling was a priority, the Grizzlies' selection of Small likely marked the end of Cole Anthony's time with the team following his arrival from the Desmond Bane trade.
Cole Anthony will likely not suit up for the Grizzlies
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman addressed the local media last night following the end of the first round. One of the questions he was asked was about the additions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony to their team, and he answered with a very notable omission in his response about their additions.
He talked about Caldwell-Pope's value to the team throughout his entire response, with no mention of Cole Anthony. Tonight, the Grizzlies selected another point guard with a backcourt already consisting of Ja Morant and Scotty Pippen Jr., along with Cole Anthony's addition.
Most pundits have speculated that the Grizzlies will utilize Anthony's contract in another trade to net them a veteran small forward or big man to round out the roster, and that was all but confirmed after they selected Small. The Grizzlies needed additional ball handlers, and the drafting of Small likely paves the way for them to pursue trade options for Cole Anthony.