Happy NBA Draft day, everybody. We made it. Now to take a step into the abyss.
Usually, draft night is kind of the start of (official) transaction season, when we see trades start happening and get a glimpse of how the puzzle pieces come together for the offseason. But this year, and every year hereafter unless team governors and NBPA officials decide to rip up this section of the collective bargaining agreement, things started popping off right after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. There have been already.
Advertisement Wednesday night will surely be one of the most interesting nights of the calendar. This draft seems unpredictable, starting right from the top. Sports gambling was legalized so sportsbooks could make money off anyone who wants to make a parlay on the top-two picks tonight.
There will be a lot to watch over the next two days, from what some teams of interest will do to new trends to watch for. Here are seven things to watch. How Memphis approaches this draft will be intriguing.
After seasons of 56 and 51 wins, Memphis essentially got cornered into a reboot season after a 25-game suspension for and injuries to, well, pretty much everyone. Now, the potential Western Conference contender has the No. 9 pick after a 27-win season and an opportunity to rejuvenate its roster.
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman is aggressive in the draft — he made seven draft-night trades over the previous five years — and if the Grizzlies front office sees a player it likes.
