It seemed unlikely the Grizzlies would use their picks at 22, 29 and 47 to end up with more than one main-roster player for the coming season, given their current logjam. So much for that idea; Memphis ended up with even more picks. The Grizzlies traded De’Anthony Melton for the 23rd pick, traded the 22nd and 29th picks for the 19th pick and a 2023 Minnesota 2nd, then traded the Lakers’ 2024 second and cash to jump back in at 38.

So a night that began with picks 22, 29 and 47 ended with picks 19, 23, 38 and 47. Break it down and the move from choosing at 22 and 29 to spots 19 and 38 came at a cost of some cash and what is likely a worse future second-round pick in their quiver, which isn’t great, but not the dramatic overpay it first seemed when the trade was reported. Swapping Melton for a first was fair value for a guy who kept getting squeezed from the playoff rotation, even if he has a great contract and might look even better in Philly.

Those picks — power forwards Jake LaRavia and David Roddy, point guard Kennedy Chandler and shooting guard Vincent Williams — reflect two trends. First, Memphis continues to draft with a very strong analytics bent: All four players were ranked much higher by most analytic models than by traditional scouting, particularly Roddy. (The irony of this is not lost on me, thank you.)

Second, these are not the moves one would expect a team to make if the likelihood existed of Kyle Anderson coming back. LaRavia, in particular, seems plug-and-play as a backup 4 who can mimic some of SloMo’s functions.

The Grizzlies have traded up or traded in for every pick they’ve made in Zach Kleiman’s tenure as GM and kept that streak alive. Additionally, the roster crunch didn’t go away. Also, agreeing to two-ways with 47th pick Vincent Williams and undrafted Kenneth Lofton, Jr., (a favorite sleeper of mine), basically assures they will roster Chandler.

If so, that means Memphis has 14 guaranteed contacts for the coming season, before dealing with Danny Green (acquired in the Melton trade, with $10 million in guaranteed money, but out with a torn ACL), let alone Anderson or free agent Tyus Jones, or signing any other free agents. Memphis also still has $17 million in cap room, although Jones could soak up much of it. Things are going to get tight if the Grizzlies run it back, but they’re also still hunting the type of consolidation trade that could make them more threatening in May.