Landing the No. 3 pick in the draft lessens the motivation for the Grizzlies to trade Ja Morant, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll still be with the team when training camp opens, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes in a subscriber-only piece. If the Grizzlies hadn’t moved up in the lottery, they would be stuck in a section of the draft that’s loaded with lead guards and likely would have been targeting Morant’s replacement. With the third selection, there’s a strong possibility they’ll be deciding between Duke big man Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
While Morant remains a good fit from a roster perspective, Memphis still may try to move on following a troubled season where he only appeared in 20 games and feuded with coach Tuomas Iisalo. After having no success when they tried to find a taker for Morant before the deadline, Cole expects the Grizzlies to reexamine his market value with an eye toward rebuilding around the third pick, Zach Edey and Cedric Coward.
Cole views the lottery luck as a sign that the organization’s path back to playoff contention may be shorter than originally expected. He adds that the team, which also holds picks No. 16 and 32, started working out prospects last week. Cole sees Boozer as a “cleaner fit” than Wilson with the current roster, pointing out that he and Edey could create significant matchup problems for opponents.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
The Mavericks weren’t able to duplicate their good fortune from last year’s lottery, but they’re confident about adding talent with the ninth pick, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Mike Schmitz, who was hired as general manager last Friday, said the team doesn’t have any preconceived notions as the pre-draft process heats up. “I don’t think [there’s] any position narrowed down right now,” Schmitz said. “I think we’re looking for someone who can fit our culture and have an impact at a high level for many years to come and I think that’s the beauty of this class. It’s very deep. There’s a wide variety of players at different positions that bring different skill sets and we’re going to bring those guys in and really vet the market and get a really good player at that number.”
Several of the top guard prospects view Dallas as a great landing spot, Curtis adds in a separate story. Even though the Mavericks have missed the playoffs the last two years, there’s a strong foundation in place for a quick turnaround. “Everyone knows who Cooper Flagg is. Rookie of the Year,” Kingston Flemings said. “Kyrie (Irving)* didn’t get to play this year, but everyone knows who he is. Learning under him, a player who’s been in the NBA, been through the ups and downs … being somewhere like Dallas would definitely be great. Anything the coaches need me to do, (new team president) Masai Ujiri, defense, offense, I can do that. Just doing what I can to help any team that drafts me.”*
Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) examines how lottery reform might affect the Rockets, who hold first-round picks from Brooklyn and Phoenix in the 2027 draft.