What Grizzlies might have done with Clippers' No. 5 pick

Memphis was looking to trade up from No. 16 before ultimately moving back

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the fifth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler after he was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

ESPN's Jeremy Woo wrote in an article on Sunday that the Grizzlies were "in pursuit" of the Los Angeles Clippers' No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

I hadn’t seen this anywhere else until now.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo says the Grizzlies tried trading with the Clippers to also land the #5 pick.

LA turned it down and took Keaton Wagler.

I imagine that’s who Zach Kleiman was after? Boozer and Wagler would’ve been an insane haul. pic.twitter.com/B5DR7wfPIm

— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) June 28, 2026

The Atlanta Hawks were also looking to trade for the pick, but the Clippers ended up staying put and selected Illinois guard Keaton Wagler.

It is important to understand that Memphis was not trying to move down from No. 3. Zach Kleiman was trying to get a second top-five pick by moving up from No. 16. The Grizzlies' aggression in trying to get a second lottery pick was no secret. For a franchise that is typically tight-lipped, Memphis' interest in moving up was reported multiple times.

Many speculated that the Grizzlies were trying to move up for a guard to pair with the eventual No. 3 pick, Cameron Boozer, specifically Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr, Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., or Brayden Burries. All five of those guards were projected to go in the top ten, and that is exactly what happened.

If Memphis had pulled off a deal to move up to No. 5, it is fair to assume Wagler would have been the selection.

According to a source, Kleiman met with the 19-year-old in early May, before the lottery took place. Before the Grizzlies knew where exactly its own first-round pick would land, the team showed plenty of interest in Wagler.

Memphis was most likely to land either the No. 7 or No. 8 pick, which were both in Wagler's range, before the lottery. The odds of moving into the top four were 37.2 percent, and luck fell the Grizzlies' way.

Below are the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery probabilities for each team ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SPuHiKew7n

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 8, 2026

The price to move up from No. 16 to No. 5 was certainly very high. The quality of the 2026 class made the value of picks, especially in the lottery, higher than usual. Because of this, it was always more likely that the Grizzlies would move up from No. 16 into the late lottery (11-16 range).

With all of the tier two guards being projected to go in the top ten, moving into the 11-16 range likely meant it would be for a frontcourt player, which was a weakness on Memphis' roster. In mypersonal mock draft on draft day, I projected the Grizzlies to trade up to No. 13 to select Michigan 6-10 forward Morez Johnson Jr.

Johnson ended up going higher than he was widely projected to. The Dallas Mavericks, who hired Johnson's college coach, Dusty May, as their new coach, drafted Johnson with the No. 9 pick.

Memphis, after a lot of buzz about potentially getting a second lottery pick, ended up trading back from No. 16 not once, but twice. The Grizzlies traded No. 16 to the Oklahoma City Thunder for No. 17 and two second-round picks, and then moved No. 17 to the Detroit Pistons for No. 21 and three second-rounders.

Memphis drafted New Zealand Breakers wing Karim Lopez with No. 21. The three seconds from the Pistons ended up being sent back to Detroit for C/F Isaiah Stewart.