My second favorite national holiday, the NBA Draft, is finally upon us. The draft begins at 6 p.m. Thursday night, and it sure feels like the Grizzlies are going to be dealing. Rumors so far are varied, from the dramatic (Zach Randolph to Minnesota for Al Jefferson) to the mundane (the team’s latest pick, #28, for cash). And I think that the odds of the team selecting and keeping players with all three of its current picks — at #12, #25, and #28 — are slim.
The biggest rumor, Randolph-for-Jefferson, has been reported as “dead for now” due to Minnesota wanting for draft-related compensation. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that scenario popped back up. Minnesota seems to be aggressively shopping Jefferson, a player Grizzlies GM has a history with and a fondness for. Jefferson is a very similar player to Randolph in size, skill, and production, but is several years younger, under contract (at a large but reasonable salary) for longer, and comes without Randolph’s off-court concerns. A trade built around those two players probably wouldn’t be popular initially among Grizzlies fans, but I think it would be a smart move.
If the Grizzlies don’t use one or both of their late-first-round picks to move up or as secondary assets in a more significant deal, then I think the odds of selling one of those picks is strong. There are reports that the Grizzlies are demanding a second-rounder along with the requisite $3 million cash to part with a late-first-rounder. There are players I like late (that list comes later in this post) who could be on the board in the early second round. If the team were to pocket $3 million to move down and still snag one of those players, then I probably wouldn’t complain.
The team appears open enough to dealing that you should expect more scenarios to emerge during the day leading up to the draft. Keep an eye on Golden State. They’re said to be willing to part with anyone other than Stephen Curry. In the past, the Grizzlies have had some interest in both Monta Ellis and Anthony Randolph. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of both of those names pop up.
