The Memphis Grizzlies have become one of the NBA's most successful expansion franchises, but that doesn't mean they haven't hit their share of speed bumps along the way. Here are three draft picks they'd like to have back:
3) SF Xavier Henry - No. 12 pick in 2010
Henry was supposed to have one of the highest upsides of any player in the 2010 draft, but he never amounted to anything in the league. He only played in 36 games for Memphis before trading him to the New Orleans Hornets. Henry now plays in the D-League.
2) Trading PF Kevin Love for SG O.J. Mayo in 2008
Ok, so this isn't an actual draft bust, but it is one of the worst moves in franchise history. The Grizzlies actually had Love in their hands after drafting him with the No. 5 overall pick, but sent him - and some extra players - to Minnesota for the No. 3 pick O.J. Mayo. Unfortunately for Memphis, Mayo never developed beyond a borderline sixth man/starter while Love became one of the best power forwards in the league.
1) C Hasheem Thabeet – No. 2 pick in 2009
Thabeet was a project coming out of UConn with an extremely raw offensive game, but the 7’3″ big man infatuated teams with his size and shot-blocking ability. However, Thabeet was clearly overwhelmed in the NBA and never seemed to be able to find his footing. He owns the title as the highest draft pick to spend time in the D-League (sent down in 2010) and is currently out of the NBA playing for the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive.
To make matters worse for the Grizzlies, they took Thabeet over Stephen Curry and James Harden.
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