I love Cam Boozer but if Utah lets us draft Darryn Peterson 3?
I will be happy to root for a team that has Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan remixes on the wing for the next decade 😂
ESPN has ranked the Grizzlies as the 5th worst team in the NBA, only above the Bucks, Wizards, Nets, and Kings
Do you think the ranking is correct, or are they underestimating this young core? #GrindCity
The Knicks are an example of smart, courageous team building. Firing Thibs for Mike Brown was a ballsy decision by the Knicks. One of many that got them to this point. RJ & Quickley for OG, trading a 1st for Hart, signing Brunson to a big deal, the Randle for KAT deal, sending a ton of picks for Bridges, and moves around the edges like adding Shamet and Alvarado. Some teams are built through the draft. The Knicks were built through masterful trades and signings. Big time credit to Leon Rose and that New York front office.
Today at 5 PM ET is the final withdrawal deadline for Early Entry Candidates for the 2026 NBA Draft. This mostly impacts the handful of international candidates who declared for this year's draft. NCAA players had to withdraw last month to retail college eligibility.
It’s gotta translate, but the potential is certainly there
21-22 and 22-23 Ja at age 22 and 23 sets a really high standard
Peterson or Boozer would be the most highly touted (high school pedigree with college production) Grizz have ever had
I'm not sure why this is coming up (got four questions in the last 20 minutes), but the Memphis Grizzlies do not project to have cap space this offseason. Because they have the large TPE from the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, Memphis projects to stay over the cap this summer. If they went space, it would be barely more than the NTMLE would be.
This is obviously without shedding significant money via trades.
I tried hard to find GMs or Presidents of basketball operations decision makers that have no basketball playing experience:
Sam Presti played basketball for Emerson College and Virginia Wesleyan College.
Brian Wright was a 5-foot-9 guard at Takoma Academy in Maryland and then played at La Sierra University in Riverside, California.
Brad Stevens played college basketball at DePauw University, an NCAA Division III school in Indiana.
Chad Buchanan attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. He participated in both the basketball and baseball programs for all four years.
Nico Harrison played college hoops for Montana State University (MSU) from 1993 to 1996. He led the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament as a senior in 1996 and is the program's last three-time, first team All Big Sky selection.
Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst played college basketball at Rochester College (now Rochester Christian University) in Michigan.
New York Knicks president Leon Rose played varsity basketball at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.
Dallas Mavericks General Manager Mike Schmitz played four years of high school basketball at Saguaro High School in Arizona.
Masai Ujiri played two seasons of junior-college basketball at Bismarck State College in North Dakota
Rob Pelinka played college basketball for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1988 to 1993.
Bobby Webster attended Iolani School in Honolulu, where he played basketball and helped lead the team to a state championship in 2002.
Will Dawkins played four years of basketball for Emerson College.
Rafael Stone played Division III college basketball for four seasons at Williams College in Massachusetts.
I only found one GM with no public record or background of competitive basketball experience as an athlete:
Zach Kleiman
New post on Third Apron:
On the Memphis Grizzlies upcoming offseason. They are primed to be one of the biggest trade facilitators this offseason with their ability to take on a lot of money.
https://t.co/al1AEn2TDo
I am not suggesting that Jaylen Brown would not make us a potential playoff team
I am saying that outcome is not worth paying the price to acquire him
Pay that price when you feel a newly formed core is a move away from contender potential, not playoff potential
So to be fair, if the Grizzlies were further on the competitive timeline, Brown would be an ideal get
But their at the start of a rebuild, and with Brown about to be 30 and likely wanting another max extension in next 12 months, just seems flawed to go after
The top 5 Grizzlies draft trade-up targets, according to @SInow's Landon Speck
1. Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan)
2. Brayden Burries (Arizona)
3. Kingston Flemings (Houston)
4. Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)
5. Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
I completely agree. Jaylen Brown is undoubtedly a star, but I don't see him as the missing piece for the Grizzlies.
Trading for Brown would only make the Grizzlies' future flexibility and roster construction even more challenging.
Badly want to win
But no, I do not want to pay the price to acquire Jaylen Brown and:
-maybe be a play-in team and first round exit
- deplete the value of our future assets
- see him walk in two summers
Then, you’re back in same spot with far less resources to succeed
Where the top 4 players in the 2026 NBA Draft rank amongst all prospects since 2015, according to @TheAthletic
6. AJ Dybantsa
7. Cameron Boozer
8. Darryn Peterson
18. Caleb Wilson
The top 3 are ranked higher than Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, and Jayson Tatum
“Arguably the best drafting front office in the NBA” 🧢
Current drafted players:
Ja, Coward, Edey, Santi, GG, Wells, Spencer, Small.
Series wins collectively - 1
All NBA selections - 1
NBA individual awards - 2
The most accomplished pick is about to be traded (Ja - pick 2).
OKC/SA/BOS/CHA/CLE/HOU have all drafted better.
POR/WAS/UTA/MIA/PHI/DAL are all on par with Memphis. We are decent drafters. Some would say “mid”.
You know what’s more important than drafting? TEAM BUILDING! which requires adding players through free agency or trades. Kleiman SUCKS at it. No one wins solely by drafting. You have to make the right trades and take the right swings. This will be our 6th lottery pick in Kleiman’s tenure.
And we’re still talking about building through the draft:
Jaren
Ja
Ziaire
Edey
Coward
Boozer/Peterson
He’s not that guy! Should be on the hot seat respectfully!
We are not yet at the point where trading for a star moves the needle enough to make the price worth paying
Build through the draft another year or two, get a better core in place, the pounce on a star
Such as where teams like Atlanta are, who make a ton more sense for Brown
The obsession with the idea that we need an all star level PG to win a championship is crazy. We tried that.
Kobe’s PG was Derek Fisher
LeBron PG was Mario Chalmers
Old Jason Kidd & JJ Barea was Dirk’s PG
Rondo was the Celtic Big 3 PG
Draymond was the Warriors de facto PG
The most successful PG in Grizzlies history that contributed to winning basketball is Mike Conley.
Jaylen Brown is automatically one of the greatest Grizzlies if he lands here. Stop it.