Donovan Clingan To Memphis Still Makes A Ton Of Sense

The UCONN center would make a great fit as the new center for the Memphis Grizzlies

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) reaches in on Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) during the Men's NCAA national championship game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 8, 2024. / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY

For a long time now, I've been against the concept of trading up in the 2024 NBA Draft, as I simply don't think it's worth it. So many players are within spitting distance of each other, to the point where relinquishing additional assets to get a comparable guy seems wasteful.

That said, as with most rules, there's an exception. That exception being the Memphis Grizzlies and Donovan Clingan.

Yes, this has been talked about before. Yes, this has been rumored. No, I'm not breaking new ground here.

What I am doing is underlining just how good of an idea this would be for the Grizzlies - and only the Grizzlies - as they're one rock-solid center away from potentially being an outright title contender. 

Clingan's 7-foot-2 frame, and 7-foot-9 wingspan, combined with passing chops, the ability to hit the glass, and not being too shoddy a scorer on his own in the paint, makes him a seamless fit next to Jaren Jackson Jr, who might have just gone through the worst rebounding season I've ever seen from a 6-foot-11 athlete like him.

Let's not play around here. Jackson Jr is an extraordinary player. Clearly a gifted defensive player, clearly a dynamic shooter, and clearly a key component for the Grizzlies. 

But the man is an excruciatingly poor rebounder, who managed just 5.5 this season in over 32 minutes per game. 

The entire idea of playing Jackson Jr at center, which seemingly has been some of the plan for a while, is negated by this fact. The team doesn't have an elite power forward roaming next to him, capable of crashing the glass. 

Some might say rebounding is overrated, and a team like the Celtics won the title without a single good rebounder.

I'll counter with Jayson Tatum, who in the playoffs had to step up and become a near 10-rebound guy to put Boston in the best place imaginable. Individual rebounding still has merit.

Clingan, next to Jackson Jr, solves this. Not only will he grab a whole ton of those bad boys for himself, but he'll use his aforementioned frame to box out, allowing Jackson Jr, Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and others to fly in for the board, and then be off to the races.

While Clingan, the individual player, will obviously not be in his prime until years down the road, the Grizzlies have so many strengths around him, that they can afford to let him develop at his own pace, while still being competitive next season.

By the 2025-2026 season, Clingan's second in the NBA, the team might even take a collective leap due to the shared improvements of the main core. 

So, what's the trade-up? 

That's where things hit a snag. Because in order to trade up, it helps to know where exactly Clingan is going, and, uh, well... Nobody knows!

The Connecticut product is rumored to go anywhere from first overall to sixth, which drastically changes the price point of what Memphis would have to relinquish to get him.

Atlanta, reportedly, is open to moving off the first pick, I'm guessing their minimum price will be that of, well, Jackson Jr. And that should obviously be a no-go for the Grizzlies. 

Even if Clingan falls to just the third overall, the cost of acquisition is likely to be less. But with the Rockets wishing to - *deep sigh* - accelerate further way too prematurely, odds are they too want an established player.

So, yeah, it won't be easy for Memphis to get there, even if they hold the ninth pick, which is obviously the primary asset going back.

Dangling future picks might work, but they'll need to be protected, and that's usually an issue for other teams.

Regardless, the actual job of figuring out a trade isn't what I'm paid to do. That job goes to Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman, who isn't exactly too shabby at putting together a roster, I might add.

But it does track that Memphis is looking at Clingan. He should, theoretically, fit like a glove. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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