Is Memphis The New OKC? Here's A Closer Look At Their Draft Stash

Across the NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti is notorious for stacking highly coveted draft picks for years on end. Presti has used these picks to either grab fresh talent from the NBA Draft (think Jalen Williams in 2022) or gain leverage in just about any trade conversation that he engages in.

The NBA is a copycat league, of course, and it was only a matter of time before other teams took a long, hard look at the execution of Presti’s process. One team, in fact, appears to be well on its way to replicating the Thunder’s blueprint for collecting draft assets.

Not that long ago, the Memphis Grizzlies had a strong identity: a physically wearing, psychologically menacing crew of tough guys bannered by superstar athlete Ja Morant. Though the Grizzlies of that era had some memorable encounters with the likes of Steph Curry and LeBron James in the playoffs, they were never able to take the next step towards true title contention.

Now, only Morant remains from that ensemble as his running mates Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been dealt to other teams over the past three years. While the rumor mill has focused on Morant’s potential landing spots, Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman has quietly redefined the team’s approach for the next several years.

Far from “win now” status, the Grizzlies snagged three future first-round picks in a February 3 trade with the Utah Jazz. This deal sent Jackson, a two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year, to Utah; while the 26-year-old JJJ is a potent force on both ends of the floor, Kleiman evidently leans towards rebuilding the Grizzlies from scratch.

The timetable of these three first-round picks is unclear (are these picks forthcoming in 2027, 2028, and 2029, for instance?), but this much is known to the NBA community: In the upcoming 2026 Draft, the Grizzlies are set to acquire an additional first-round pick from a complicated tangle of pick swaps with the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, and the Washington Wizards.

Memphis has even more first-round pick swaps in 2027 and 2029, and they also happen to have swaps in the second round over the next three years. Wouldn’t Presti be proud of these long-term chess moves?

On second thought, Presti might not be thrilled that Kleiman and his team have all these pieces to work with. Last season, Presti’s Thunder squad made quick work of Kleiman’s ragtag Grizzlies. The time may come, though, when the Grizzlies will no longer be ragtag.