JULY 6: The trade is official, the Thunder announced today in a press release. Clarke and Bazley will now get the opportunity to join the Grizzlies and Thunder, respectively, in Las Vegas Summer League.
JUNE 21: The 2024 pick going to the Thunder in the trade is Memphis’ own pick, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian clarifies (via Twitter). This deal won’t be officially completed until the new league year begins, since the No. 23 pick is tied up in the Mike Conley trade that’s not yet official.
JUNE 20: The Thunder and Grizzlies have reached an agreement to swap first-round picks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Memphis is sending a 2024 second-round pick to Oklahoma City in order to move up from No. 23 to No. 21. The Grizzlies have used that 21st overall pick to select Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke.
The Thunder had reportedly been exploring the trade market in deals that might have reduced their team salary for 2019/20, using the No. 21 pick as a sweetener. This trade won’t help the club shed salary, though the cap hold for the No. 23 selection will be slightly smaller than that of the No. 21 pick. Oklahoma City used that pick to select Darius Bazley.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, added a player in Clarke who was viewed as a potential lottery pick heading into the night. He averaged 16.9 PPG and 8.6 RPG with a .687 FG% in his first season with the Zags in 2018/19 before he declared for the draft. In Memphis, he’ll team up Ja Morant, whom the Grizzlies drafted with the No. 2 overall pick earlier in the evening.
HR’s mock had Clarke falling and being a find at #18, gd call.
I get why Memphis did this, but what’s in it for OKC, exactly?
Cap hold is cheaper for pick 23 than 21. Only moved down two spaces