In a week, the Grizzlies will learn their 2019 NBA Draft fate. And the results of the lottery could positively alter the trajectory of the franchise for the next decade-plus, simplify a potential rebuild or complicate a rebuild all the same. It could inform whether the Grizzlies opt to compete for a playoff bid next season, hit the restart button this summer or settle for something in-between.



Long story short, there’s a lot riding on next Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. Depending on how the lottery balls land, the Grizzlies will either pick in the top-four, stay at eighth (they have the eighth-best overall odds), or move down to the ninth pick or lower. If the Grizzlies move down, the pick will belong to Boston, thanks to a 2015 trade that saw Memphis move a future first-round pick to the Celtics in exchange for Jeff Green, among other pieces.



The Grizzlies’ previous general manager, Chris Wallace, expressed a preference to convey the pick. The new...