Golden State Warriors take advantage of Memphis Grizzlies' mistake

The Western Conference rivals were trade partners once upon a time.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies are a team that isn't afraid to shake things up, especially on the trade market.

However, sometimes when you swing, you also miss. Which was the case in the 2025 NBA Draft when the Golden State Warriors made a trade with the Grizzlies, moving up three spots to take Florida guard Will Richard. He would be doing very well if he were playing for the Grizzlies.

"Selling Ja Morant for pennies on the dollar was never going to accomplish much. And while the offseason investment in Ty Jerome doesn't look great when he's failing to shake a calf strain, that's more unfortunate than regretful," Bleacher Report contributor Zach Buckley wrote.

"So, we're instead bouncing back to a seemingly inconsequential move on draft night, when Memphis pocketed a 2032 second-round pick from Golden State to slide back from No. 56 to No. 59. Nine times out of 10, that's the kind of transaction that never gets mentioned again.

"This just happened to be one of the exceptions, though, since that 56th pick was spent on swingman Will Richard, who has deftly handled a plug-and-play for the Warriors and holds top-15 rookie ranks in minutes (12th), points (13th) and three-pointers (tied for eighth). The player taken 59th, Jahmai Mashack, has logged just 21 forgettable NBA minutes while on a two-way deal with Memphis."

Golden State Warriors guard Will Richard during the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Grizzlies made wrong move in draft trade

That extra second-round pick the Grizzlies got for the Warriors could be an amazing player, but for now, that trade does not look very good in Memphis' eyes.

The Grizzlies wanted to bring in free agents, so that's why the move was made. It's also possible that the team wouldn't have given Richard much of a chance to play. He likely would have been with the Hustle in the G League.

The Warriors had the roster spot for Richard, so they are allowing him to take advantage of it and make the most of his opportunity. When it comes to second-round prospects, it's all about being in the right place at the right time. That's why most of them end up not panning out in the NBA.

The Grizzlies just need a couple more of their long shots to make it in order to make those advances towards getting to the top of the Western Conference. But they still haven't beaten more than a couple of good teams all season; Minnesota is the only quality squad that Memphis has handled in nearly two months.

The Grizzlies will have a rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at 8:30pm CT inside Crypto.com Arena.