The Memphis Grizzlies won the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, jumping into the top four after a tanking season where they finished 13th in the West with a 25-57 record. This is a team going through a clear transition, with Jaren Jackson Jr. getting traded to the Utah Jazz over the winter. Now, they’ll likely select his long-term replacement with the No. 3 pick in the Draft.
The 2026 NBA Draft has a clear top-four with prospects AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, all being viewed as potentially generational players. The Grizzlies will have the third pick, so they’ll have to wait for two of these prospects to come off the board before making their selection.
The Grizzlies have gone through multiple losing seasons now, with franchise point guard Ja Morant playing just 70 games out of 164 over the last two seasons. His name has been in trade rumors over the last season as well, so the 2026 NBA Draft might complete the franchise’s transition from the Morant and Jackson Jr. era into a new one with whoever they select at No. 3.
There aren’t many realistic prospects the Grizzlies could target with the No. 3 pick, with Dybantsa and Peterson widely expected to go No. 1 and 2. Memphis’ options are pretty straightforward at the top of the draft. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at the three prospects who will likely be at the top of their draft board.
3. Keaton Wagler – Guard, Illinois
Unless Peterson somehow goes unselected by the Washington Wizards or the Utah Jazz, the only other guard prospect the Grizzlies can consider at No. 3 is Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. He’s expected to be one of the first few picks off the board after the top four prospects, but the Grizzlies could surprise everyone and select him at No. 3, provided he clearly blows them away with his ability and long-term upside.
Wagler is a do-it-all combo guard who measured in at 6’5″ barefoot and 188 pounds, with a 6’6.25″ wingspan and 8’4″ standing reach. That’s great size for an NBA guard, especially with Wagler coming off a freshman season where he averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks, shooting 44.5% from the field and 39.7% from three for a .596 true shooting percentage. He could be a long-term backcourt partner for Morant if the Grizzlies want to keep him at the helm, filling in the major gaps created by Morant in the backcourt.
Given the success the Grizzlies had with the Morant and Desmond Bane backcourt, replicating that with a potentially better on-ball creator like Wagler, who also has the defensive size required for the position, would be a great decision. It’ll naturally raise eyebrows everywhere if Wagler went that high, given the clear hierarchy with the top-four talents, so this reality assumes Wagler’s workouts and interviews were good enough to create this outcome.
The Grizzlies would likely move down the draft order to select Wagler rather than use the No. 3 pick on him, so an eye should be kept on this situation.
2. Caleb Wilson – Forward, Kentucky
Caleb Wilson is the most realistic outside contender for the Grizzlies at No. 3, with most mocks placing him as someone who’s penciled in to be the No. 4 pick for most of the season. Despite measuring in at 6’9.25″ barefoot and 211 pounds, with a 7’0.25″ wingspan and 9’0″ standing reach, Wilson’s case to go No. 3 is still not strong enough, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a case whatsoever.
Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks in his sole season with the UNC Tar Heels. He projects to have the highest defensive ceiling of the four top prospects in the draft, combining jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism with strong on-ball skills to make himself an elite prospect. He could be a future DPOY in the NBA, following the footsteps of Jackson Jr., the player he’s essentially going to be a long-term replacement for.
Wilson’s athletic profile makes him an enticing pick at No. 3, but he has a weak jumper and doesn’t have the sharp on-ball skills that are expected from true No. 1 options in the NBA. He might become a superstar player who can give a team 20-10 with All-Defense caliber play, but the reason he’s been widely considered the fourth-best prospect is purely that he likely won’t ever be the sole leader of a championship team.
The Grizzlies aren’t looking to just add a high-potential forward; they’re hoping to land a player who can be a future franchise face. Wilson could be that, but there’s one clear better option that the Grizzlies might be set on.
1. Cameron Boozer – Forward, Duke
The overwhelming favorite to be selected at No. 3 is Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer. While the Grizzlies have to be wary of the Utah Jazz potentially selecting Boozer at No. 2 because Cameron’s father, Carlos Boozer, works there as a scout. However, the Jazz have a crowded frontcourt and seem set on trying to find a way to get AJ Dybantsa on their team, so the Grizzlies should have a clear path at selecting their dream prospect at No. 3
Boozer is a power forward who measured in at 6’8.25″ barefoot and 253 pounds, with a 7’1.5″ wingspan and 9’0″ standing reach after averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals with the Blue Devils last season, being named the ACC Tournament MVP for his performances. He’s who we picked in the Fadeaway World mock draft to go to the Grizzlies, and with good reason.
Boozer would be a great fit alongside Zach Edey in the Grizzlies frontcourt, being able to cover up for Edey’s lack of mobility with his strong perimeter skills. He’s also capable of being a secondary on-ball option while showing skills as a competent three-level scorer. He’d fit in nicely with Morant running the show and Edey alongside him, covering up gaps on both ends of the court with his versatile style of play.
Boozer has a higher offensive ceiling with his shooting ability, and his size allows him to potentially play as a small-ball five if the oft-injured Edey continues to struggle with his health. Given the NBA places a premium on skillful bigs who can potentially run an offense as a versatile small-ball five, Boozer’s skill-set should make him the ideal pick for a Grizzlies squad looking for their frontcourt star of the future after trading away Jackson Jr.
