The Grizzlies' search for a dynamic starting small forward has haunted the team since they traded Rudy Gay at the 2013 trade deadline. The best player they've had at that position since making that deal was Dillon Brooks, who switched between small forward and shooting guard throughout his six-year tenure with the team.
During the 2021 offseason, general manager Zach Kleiman made a bold move by trading their 17th and 51st overall picks of the draft, and Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans for the 10th and 40th overall picks, Steven Adams, and Eric Bledsoe. They used the 10th overall pick to select Ziaire Williams to become their small forward of the future.
However, he underwhelmed throughout his three seasons in Memphis, averaging 7.5 points on 42.6% shooting. He had a promising rookie season, replacing an injured Dillon Brooks for 31 starts, but an offseason knee injury slowed his progress, and he got worse during his sophomore campaign. The failure of that draft selection is still haunting the Grizzlies due to the following factors.
He was selected as Dillon Brooks' potential replacement
Zach Kleiman never openly came out and said anything, but the selection of Williams was a look ahead to potentially replacing Dillon Brooks. They played the same position as Brooks was moved to small forward the season before. Desmond Bane had a breakout season at shooting guard the year after the selection of Ziaire Williams to confirm that Brooks' time with the Grizzlies was likely coming to an end.
Ziaire Williams' potential as an isolation scorer and lengthy defender gave the Grizzlies reason to believe he could offer better efficiency than Brooks, but it never came to fruition. Eventually, the organization fell out of favor with Brooks as he approached free agency in 2023, and due to the uncertainty surrounding Williams' progression, the team traded for Marcus Smart, which didn't end well either.
New Orleans selected Trey Murphy III in their initial draft slot
Hindsight is 20/20, but it turns out that the solution to the Grizzlies' small forward woes was there for the taking if they had remained at the number 17 in the 2021 NBA Draft. Pelicans' forward Trey Murphy III has become the player the Grizzlies hoped Ziaire Williams would become for them as a three-point marksman with isolation scoring and defensive ability.
After averaging 5.4 points during his rookie season, he averaged just under 15 points per game his next two seasons as a half-starter before averaging 21.2 points last season as a full-time starter for the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III was a name the Grizzlies would've likely been interested in making a trade for this offseason if he became available. However, selecting him in 2021 was in their lap, and they dropped the ball.