Grizzlies Traded Down Twice in One Night. They Still Made NBA History.

The Memphis Grizzlies turned the middle of the first round into their own trade desk on Tuesday. And they walked away having made history without even using their highest pick.

Holding the No. 16 selection, Memphis moved back twice in a matter of minutes. First, the Grizzlies sent the pick to Oklahoma City for No. 17 and two second-rounders. Then they flipped No. 17 to Detroit and slid to No. 21, collecting three more second-round picks along the way. So Memphis dropped five spots in the order and netted five future second-round picks for the trouble. Not bad for a few phone calls.

The history happens at 21

The pick the Grizzlies actually kept made the night even more interesting. At No. 21, Memphis selected Karim Lopez, a forward who spent last season with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League instead of going the college route. Lopez is the first Mexican-born player ever taken in the first round of an NBA Draft. He profiles as a long, versatile wing with the kind of developmental upside a rebuilding team can afford to be patient with.

The Grizzlies have already moved on from Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ja Morant spent the offseason at the center of trade rumors. The roster is turning over. The front office is stacking draft capital to fuel whatever comes next.

And that stack is deep now. Between those five new second-rounders and the picks already on the books, Zach Kleiman and the Memphis front office have given themselves a pile of lottery tickets across the next several drafts.

Bigger move higher up

The night started with an even bigger splash. With the No. 3 overall pick, the Grizzlies took Cameron Boozer, the Duke star who swept the major national player of the year awards as a freshman. Boozer gives Memphis a polished young big man to build around while the second-round hoard waits on the back burner.

Kleiman read the room. This draft class was deep at point guard and a run was coming. Rival teams figured Memphis wanted one too, so they paid up to jump ahead. The Grizzlies let them, banked the picks, and grabbed Lopez anyway.

Two trades, five extra picks, and a piece of draft history for Mexico.