MikeCheck: Grizzlies enter NBA Draft with optionality, flexibility amid offseason retooling
Michael WallaceNEW YORK – Optionality.
That’s the buzzword circulating around the Memphis Grizzlies closing in on the NBA Draft.
The Grizzlies enter Barclays Center on Wednesday with the No. 16 pick in the first round, two selections in Thursday’s second round and their options as diverse as the promising field of top prospects assembled in New York.
League executives, prominent draft analysts and several NBA-bound players revealed Memphis has done little to tip its hand in any direction regarding draft plans.
But considering their recent moves and growing stash of assets, the Grizzlies approach their immediate next steps with as much flexibility as any team on the draft board. Duke phenom Cooper Flagg is a lock to go to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in Wednesday night.
There’s a general consensus around the next group of seven players, in no particular order, who are likely to be chosen in the top eight of the lottery. But after that, ESPN senior draft analyst Jonathan Givony believes, the talent flattens out over the next 10 prospects.
That’s a key reason Givony insists the Grizzlies are in an ideal spot to land a lottery-level talent with the No. 16 pick, should Memphis keep the selection and not package it in another trade. The Grizzlies obtained the No. 16 pick, in addition to three future first-round selections, in the trade earlier this month that sent guard Desmond Bane to Orlando. As part of that deal, Memphis acquired veteran wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and point guard Cole Anthony.
“They got a lot of good picks for (Bane), but it starts right here at No. 16,” Givony said. “That’s a place they can go get someone that can maybe help them right away next season. Between (picks) No. 9 and No. 20, it’s hard to distinguish where some of these guys end up. Memphis has a great track record uncovering and developing talent, with a profile they seem to value. I see a lot of value in the middle of this first round. There will be good players for them at No. 16.”
Givony’s latest mock draft on ESPN.com projected Memphis to take Washington State swingman Cedric Coward, a 6-foot-6 versatile player whose stock has climbed in recent weeks. Coward was limited to just six games due to a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in his lone season at WSU after he transferred from Eastern Washington.
Coward confirmed to Grind City Media during Tuesday’s pre-draft media day that he worked out for the Grizzlies on Monday before he arrived in New York. He also visited several other teams coming off a solid impression at last month’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, where Coward’s 8-foot-10 standing reach and 7-foot-2 wingspan sparked intrigue.
“Memphis is a great place, man,” said Coward, who committed to transfer to Duke for next season but opted to remain in the draft after solidifying his first-round status. “It was really competitive, good energy and the coaching staff and front office were great. It’s just what you want when you surround yourself with basketball-positive people. They talked a little (trash) during the workout, but I let my game do the talking. And that was the best part.”
Coward was limited in his recent workouts as he progresses through the final stages of rehab, and is scheduled start full scrimmage activities in the coming weeks. He shot 39.2-percent on 3-pointers over his career and averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season.
The Grizzlies have also worked out at least two other top prospects invited to New York to attend the draft. Colorado State swingman Nique Clifford and French center Joan Beringer also acknowledged visiting with the Grizzlies during pre-draft preparations.
Clifford is considered one of the most experienced and versatile perimeter players in the draft after he helped lead Colorado State to a first-round upset over the University of Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. Beringer, 19, spent last season playing professionally in Slovenia and has drawn upside comparisons to Grizzlies’ All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and Indiana Pacers’ center Myles Turner.
Adding depth on the wing and in the power rotation appear to be priorities for the Grizzlies, whether through the draft or when NBA free agency opens in July. Bane’s departure and center Zach Edey’s recovery from ankle surgery that could sideline him through the start of next season have created openings in the rotation entering Tuomas Iisalo’s first full season as coach.
The Grizzlies have armed themselves with plenty of options moving forward as they retool around Jackson and star point guard Ja Morant.
“The outside perception is, ‘Oh, you trade your second or third-best player (Bane), so now it’s going to be a tear-down,” former NBA front-office executive Bobby Marks said of the initial reaction to the Grizzlies’ recent moves. “But I don’t see it as that at all, because the two players you immediately got back are (productive) in KCP and Cole. And all those picks give you optionality. That’s the beauty of it. I do think you have to get it right at No. 16 if you’re staying there, certainly for frontcourt depth. But there will be a full group of players to pick from.”
The next step in the offseason retooling process comes into focus Wednesday night.
The Grizzlies are on the clock.
Published on Jun 25, 2025
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