Draft Day Decisions: Is Trading Up or Trading Out a sensible option for Memphis?

It is no secret that Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman is one of the more active NBA GMs when it comes to trades either before or on draft night. Kleiman has initiated several trade up opportunities to pick many current contributors for Memphis, including Brandon Clarke, Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, Santi Aldama, and Jake Laravia. While not every pick has worked out as hoped, many across the league know that Kleiman will be aggressive in pursuit of a prospect he values.

And that is a big reason why Memphis could be one of the more interesting teams to watch during the 2024 Draft, which is now only nine days away. The difference between this year and recent years for the Grizzlies is that Memphis will be picking in the top 10 of the Draft for the first time since 2019. And while it could make sense for Memphis to stay put and let a talent they like fall to them, a few scenarios could develop that could allow for Kleiman to once again put together a Draft day deal.

Because unlike most teams picking in the lottery this year, the Grizzlies will be looking to win and hopefully contend next season. They have their core in place, unlike other teams who are looking to establish their core. So for Memphis, that could narrow the focus on prospects that could offer immediate benefit in support of their established core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr.

For weeks and even months, many have speculated a trade-up target for the Grizzlies could be UCONN center Donovan Clingan. And this speculation has been validated to some extent via various reports that the Grizzlies have talked to teams about trade-up scenarios, a development most recently reported by Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. This interest in Clingan should not be surprising to anyone, as the Grizzlies have stated they are looking to add another big this summer and need rebounding depth. Clingan’s defensive upside as a center, along with his rebounding and offensive skill sets, would make good sense for Memphis to pursue.

However, for the same reasons Clingan could be highly coveted by the Grizzlies, many other teams could have Clingan on their radar, including the Atlanta Hawks with the top pick in the Draft. It seems that as we get closer to the Draft, the likelihood of Clingan being taken in the top 4 picks could become more and more of a reality. In my opinion, this becomes more likely if trades were to occur instead of the current draft order remaining the same.

Another previous report had indicated that Memphis has discussed potentially trading up to the third spot in the draft, a spot currently owned by the Houston Rockets. But the price it would cost to move up that high, along with a bit of difficulty seeing how the Rockets and Grizzlies match-up in a trade, make it a bit skeptical that could occur. Beyond that specific scenario, what does seem clear is that for Memphis to have the chance at selecting Clingan or another target that could significantly help the team, they will have to move up in the top four of the NBA Draft. And the price that makes that sort of move possible would likely cost both the ninth overall pick and a future first rounder, at the very least.

In my opinion, the only other sensible targets to trade up for besides Clingan are Reed Sheppard and Alex Sarr. Sarr makes sense for many of the same reasons that Clingan does, but with even more upside. Sheppard may be the best combination of shooting and defense in the draft, two traits the Grizzlies highly value in prospects. Personally, the only player I feel would be worth that price is Sarr, mainly due to my confidence that Memphis would be a great landing spot for him to fulfill his immense potential. And with Sarr likely being taken in the top two picks, if Memphis is considering the price to move up that far for Sarr, the more logical option would be using that sort of trade package to instead go after a significant and established NBA talent.

While trading up into the top three or four of the Draft may not make sense for Clingan or Sheppard, they could become more sensible targets if they were to be available at picks six or seven. At that point, as Parker Fleming and many others have speculated, the cost to move up could be a little less, such as involving the ninth pick, a player such as Ziaire Williams or Santi Aldama, and maybe a second rounder. That could entice either Charlotte or Portland to move back a few spots and still get a prospect they covet while also picking up future assets.

As mentioned above, Kleiman has made moves like this before, even securing a higher pick in the draft days before Draft night, like he did in the 2021 trade involving Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas. But in the case of the 2024 Draft, with the potential for multiple teams to move their own picks higher in the lottery, it seems more likely that the Grizzlies could make their moves on June 26th. Regardless of when a specific move could be made, Kleiman’s active draft night history and other aforementioned reasons make a move up in the Draft for Memphis a very real possibility.

But that may not be the only possibility when it comes to how the Grizzlies feel they can gain the most value from their ninth overall pick. Because the one other Draft related trade that Kleiman has made days before Draft night was last season when he acquired Marcus Smart. In this trade, Kleiman completely “traded out” of the 2023 first round (pick 25) and also traded away the 14th pick in the 2024 Draft (originally acquired from Golden State in the Andre Iguodola trade.) This is proof that while Kleiman clearly values making the right selections for the Grizzlies in the draft, he also is not afraid to move picks to immediately improve the roster with proven NBA talent.

This can be further validated by past reports and Kleiman’s own comments of how he aggressively pursued trades for significant NBA players. And as Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian and others have speculated, that type of scenario could be present again this season. Names such as Jalen Duren and Jarrett Allen could be available once the offseason begins by their respective teams. Though those talents may not be known to be available to pursue in a trade currently, things could quickly change once the offseason begins.

And with Kleiman now also having two second round picks to work with in this year’s draft after trading Steven Adams to Houston, he could be more open to completely trading away the ninth pick in the right deal. Because after doing that exact maneuver last year, he remained in place at pick 45 to select GG Jackson. As a result, with picks 39 and 57 at his disposal, Kleiman could be in line to both trade out and trade up in this draft. If a specific talent is available in late the first round, Memphis could trade up from 39 to get that talent just as they did for Bane and Aldama.

In the end, the driving force behind whatever moves the Grizzlies could make is gaining the most value from their picks that will contribute to Memphis’s plan to win and win big as soon as possible. While that focus may seem to suggest trading the picks for established NBA talent is the best route to pursue, the Grizzlies roster becoming more and more expensive makes having good production on rookie-scale contracts a very valuable commodity. As a result, even if Memphis does find a way to improve their roster with a proven talent, there is a good chance they will remain active to make a first round pick in some capacity a week from Wednesday.

So when it comes to the idea of trading up or trading out in the Draft for Memphis, the simple response is that in the right scenario, either option or even both opportunities could be sensible on draft night. The exciting thing is that there is a very real chance that Memphis will once again be active through trades on Draft night. However, the Whos, Whats, and Hows of that potential trade may not be known until mere minutes before it actually goes down. Regardless, the main point is that Memphis has the assets and reasons to be as aggressive as it sees fit once Draft night arrives.