Heading into NBA Draft night, it was heavily rumored that the Grizzlies were immensely interested in the idea of moving up the board to secure a higher pick in order to land coveted big man prospect Donovan Clingan.
Often regarded as an ideal candidate within the club’s scheme and rotation, the 7-foot-2, 280-pound UConn product had found his name linked to Memphis during the months leading up to Wednesday’s festivities, and, By Action Network’s Matt MooreThe front office was reported to have offered “up to three picks (with protections) to try to crack the top five” in an effort to land him.
Even during the draft, the franchise had entered into negotiations with the Charlotte Hornets to move up to sixth overall, as the Portland Trail Blazers, who held the seventh pick on the night, were believed to have interest in taking Clingan for themselves. and in turn, the Grizzlies felt the only way to get their man was to jump directly in front of them.
Unfortunately, negotiations ultimately fell through, leading to the Hornets selecting Tidjane Salaün, followed by the Blazers’ decision to sign Clingan immediately afterward.
While not much has been revealed about why the trade talks failed, the fact that they did ended up causing Memphis to lose arguably the best big man in the draft.
