Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman explained why Memphis traded down twice in the first round, choosing to stay patient and follow the value to land Karim López.
The Memphis Grizzlies traded down twice in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night, selecting New Zealand Breakers forward Karim López at No. 21 and stockpiling five future second-round picks in the process.
General manager Zach Kleiman said the team weighed several directions before settling on patience early in its rebuild.
"We were looking at a lot of different types of options in that part of the draft. We looked at trading up, we looked at trading out and we looked at trading down," Kleiman said. "And when you're at the beginning of a build, we challenged ourselves just to be patient and follow the value in this draft. And that value, the opportunity happened to be moving back a couple of times and thrilled that we were able to add Karim at 21 after doing so."
Memphis began the night with the No. 16 pick. The Grizzlies sent that selection, the rights to Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 17 pick, used on Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, and two future second-round picks. They then moved Okorie's rights to the Detroit Pistons for López and three more future second-rounders.
Kleiman pointed to López's ball-handling and ability to create off the dribble as the traits that drew the Grizzlies to him.
"A lot of versatility. Got a great handle," Kleiman said. "He's really good at kind of operating in tight spaces and getting all the way to the rim, putting pressure on the rim. Great feel for someone his size, too."
López, a 6-foot-8, 222-pound forward, spent the previous two seasons with the Breakers through the Australian NBL's Next Stars program. He averaged 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 24.4 minutes per game and scored 358 points in 30 games last season, the most by a draft-eligible player in the program's history. The previous marks belonged to LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, and Alex Sarr.
The 19-year-old also holds a place in NBL history. In the 2024-25 season, López became the youngest player in the league to record a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Sydney as a 17-year-old on Oct. 27, 2024.
López is the first Mexico native selected in the first round of an NBA draft. He began his professional career in Spain with Joventut Badalona during the 2023-24 season and made his debut for the Mexican senior national team at 17.
The selection adds to a young Memphis core that includes No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and Zach Edey. The Grizzlies entered the draft amid a roster reset that has included stockpiling draft capital over the past year, and they also hold the No. 32 pick, the second selection of the second round.
Grizzlies Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Grizzlies. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
