Because of the all-time fleecing president Danny Ainge committed on the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics fans spent a lot of time over the last few years monitoring the Nets’ situation since it directly affected the status of the incredibly valuable draft picks they acquired from them.

But with the last of their Nets picks dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the Kyrie Irving trade in the summer, the Celtics may now have to monitor the Memphis Grizzlies for the next few years since they could be the ones to deliver a top pick to Boston’s doorstep, as Boston.com’s John Karalis explains.

Unlike the Nets, the Grizzlies added some protection to that pick. It’s top-8 protected in 2019, top-6 protected in 2020, and unprotected in 2021. At some point in those years, the Celtics could get themselves another top-flight player, provided Memphis is bad enough then. Which they just might be if a few things break Boston’s way.

Karalis recounts everything that’s gone wrong for the Grizzlies this season, from their transition from the Grit ‘n Grind era, to Mike Conley’s injury, to the losing streak which led to David Fizdale’s firing to the Marc Gasol saga. Things are also not great off the court in Memphis, with the uncertainty over ownership looming large over the franchise.

With the way things are going, there remains a real possibility the Grizzlies completely hit the reset button and start a rebuild in the next few years. If they do, the Celtics could once again stand to benefit in a big way and could potentially add another promising asset to their already stacked roster.