Skip to main content
All Grizzlies

What's still at stake for the ghosts of the Grizzlies

It's all about draft positioning as the season mercifully ends
Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Bez Mbeng (21) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Adama Bal (72) reach for a loose ball during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Apr 10, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Bez Mbeng (21) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Adama Bal (72) reach for a loose ball during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

In this story:

Memphis GrizzliesDallas Mavericks

The Memphis Grizzlies' 2025-26 train has finally reached the final station -- even if it seems as if all the original passengers evaporated way back on the tracks.

Just one game left: in Houston, against a Rockets team that is locked into the fifth seed in the West, and likely won't be playing many regulars. Of course, the Grizzlies don't have any regulars anymore; they played just six players in a staggering 147-101 Utah Jazz squad that has also been tanking for weeks, even before Memphis went full intentional freefall.

So what's in play now for Memphis?

Currently, they sit in the sixth spot in the Tankathon standings, tied with Dallas -- with an 8.3% chance of the No. 1 overall pick and a 34.4% chance of landing in the top four. Lose the game and, due to tiebreakers, the Grizzlies will stay there. Win, and if Dallas loses (the Mavericks are playing a Bulls team that also benefits from losing to stay "behind" the Milwaukee Bucks for 9th in the Tankathon standings), and the Grizzlies will slip to seventh in the lottery.

It wouldn't be that dramatic a mistake, only because the odds of getting in the top 1 or top 4 aren't all that different between the sixth and seventh slots; but still, the Grizzlies have come this far, losing seven straight and 20 of 22 overall.

Might as well close the deal.

The Grizzlies will enter the offseason with the potential for two first-round lottery picks -- due to a complicated arrangement that involves the Phoenix Suns -- and with future draft capital from the Jazz and the Orlando Magic due to the Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. trades. So there's hope. And maybe Zach Edey will heal, at last, to anchor the defense; and maybe the Ja Morant situation will be resolved positively, whether he stays or (more likely) goes.

But for now, try to find amusement in a team that's trying to lose without getting penalized for doing so, as other NBA organizations (like the Jazz and Pacers) have been this season.

It's like watching kids try to grab the crumbs of cookies from the jar without the teacher -- in this case, Adam Silver -- catching them. And hold onto these names, from Adama Bal to Lucas Williamson to Dariq Whitehead -- tightly, as answers to future trivia questions, about who was left by the end.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

Share on XFollow EthanJSkolnick
Home/News