As we approach this year's NBA Draft, all eyes are focused on the intentions of this Memphis Grizzlies team.
Despite finishing with the seventh-worst record in the association at 27-55, Zach Kleiman and company find themselves holding the rights to the ninth overall selection in the upcoming festivities.
Though in most years, possessing a top-10 lottery pick is considered to be a lavish luxury, being this year's class is already heralded as one of the weakest in recent memory, there are many, including the Grizzlies themselves, who believe such an asset would be best served as a trade chip.
Players worth Grizzlies trading No. 9 NBA Draft pick for
Already this offseason, the rumor mill has been churning quite frequently concerning ideas about how Memphis could best utilize their lottery selection in a deal, and, when looking at the players that have been mentioned as possible targets in such a hypothetical exchange, there are a few, in particular, that could prove to be well worth the No. 9 pick's departure.
Nic Claxton
From his particular rim-protecting and rim-running style of play to his ties to superstar guard Ja Morant, for quite some time now Nic Claxton has been a player linked as a possible offseason target for the Grizzlies.
After posting yet another quality campaign with the Brooklyn Nets, one where he averaged 11.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks on 62.9 percent shooting from the field, the 25-year-old finds himself heading into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent and is expected to garner quite a ton of attention on the open market.
With this block, @_claxton33 has moved into 10th place in Nets NBA history in blocked shots (387) 🔒 pic.twitter.com/hbIc77AxD8
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 14, 2024
Based on recent rumblings, many expect the center to re-sign with the Nets this summer, with some such as the New York Post's Brian Lewis reporting that he "might not ever even hit the open market."
However, considering Brooklyn is coming off such a pedestrian season where they finished 32-50 while literally trying to be good in the weak Eastern Conference and have no high-end draft rights to show for their misfortunes due to poor trades over the past few seasons, perhaps the idea of starting fresh with new and young faces could be enough to convince them to hit the reset button.
In order to pry a guy like Claxton away from the borough via sign-and-trade, it would undoubtedly have to cost the Grizzlies their ninth overall selection in this year's draft and then probably another pick or two in future classes on top of it.
Though it may seem like a steep asking price, with his enviable age along with his ideal skill set for what Memphis covets in a center (rebounding, rim protection, running out on fast breaks, etc.), coughing up such assets could be well worth it for a guy like Claxton.