Grizzlies, Mavs and Spurs bring top front-court prospects to the Southwest Division in the NBA draft

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The Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs brought three prominent front-court prospects to the Southwest Division in Tuesday night's first round of the NBA draft.

Memphis took Duke forward Cameron Boozer third overall. Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr. went to Dallas with the ninth overall draft choice.

When the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs picked 20th overall, they added Kentucky forward and center Jayden Quaintance — and then traded for another big man at 26th overall: Tarris Reed Jr of Connecticut.

In Memphis, the 6-foot-9 Boozer will join another top young big man in Zach Edey.

“We automatically become one of the best rebounding duos in the league,” Boozer said. "It’s going to be exciting to see what different types of things we can do — really mess up other teams and cause some mismatches for sure.”

The 6-9 Johnson helped Michigan win the second NCAA title in program history this past season, averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.

The 6-9 Quaintance averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds for Kentucky during an injury-shortened season after spending his previous college campaign with Arizona State.

Meanwhile, Houston and New Orleans entered the draft without a first rounder, and neither succeeded in finding a trade they liked to get back into NBA draft's opening round.

What was the team’s need: Pieces for a rebuild Memphis started the process last summer, and these are the latest steps.

Who did Memphis draft: Cameron Boozer, 6-foot-9 power forward from Duke with the No. 3 pick. Two trades dropped the Grizzlies from No. 16 to No. 17 to 21, picking up five second-round picks in the process, a person familiar with the moves told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because deals can’t be finalized until July 6. At No. 21 from Detroit, Memphis selected Karim Lopez, a 19-year-old forward from Mexico, who played for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.

The picks’ NBA comparison: Boozer compares to Al Horford, Paolo Banchero and Kevin Love. As for Lopez, the comparisons stretch from Kyle Kuzma to Deni Avdija.

What was the team’s need: The Mavericks might spend a long time looking for their next star point guard after the ill-fated Luka Doncic trade.

Who did Dallas draft: Michigan F/C Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 and G Sergio De Larrea of Spain at No. 25 in a trade with the Knicks.

The pick’s NBA comparison: At 6-9 with a defensive pedigree, Johnson fits the profile of a young Bam Adebayo. Johnson is considered limited offensively with the potential to grow. Adebayo wasn’t a double-figure scorer until his third season. De Larrea, who fits the mold of a point guard, turned down U.S. college offers to follow the same path as Doncic in the EuroLeague. That comparison is farcical for now.

What was the team's need: Losing 4-1 to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals exposed the Spurs’ need for another big man to play alongside and spell Victor Wembanyama. The French All-Star averaged 26.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 2.6 assists while playing a series-high 39.7 minutes.

Who the Spurs drafted: Jayden Quaintance, a 6-9, 253-pound forward from Kentucky and Tarris Reed Jr., a 6-11 center from Connecticut. Quaintance’s career started at Arizona State, but his freshman season ended when he suffered a torn ACL, torn meniscus, and fracture to his right knee on Feb. 23, 2025. He played four games for Kentucky before knee pain and swelling forced him to end his season. Reed, picked 26th overall and acquired from Denver in a draft night trade, spent his first two seasons at Michigan before closing his career at UConn. Reed averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during his four-year career. Both Quaintance and Reed are rim protectors and defensive-minded players who rely on their strength.

The pick's NBA comparison: Quaintance has been compared defensively to Portland’s Robert Williams III and Houston’s Clint Capela and offensively to Detroit’s Jalen Duren for his play around the rim. Reed has been compared to Joakim Noah and Andrew Bogut for his back-to-the-basket approach to offense.

What was the team need: Houston could use help with perimeter shooting, having ranked near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point shooting. But the Rockets also could use help in the front court, given the recent injury struggles of Capela and Steven Adams. Depth at point guard also would come in handy for a team that seemed to struggle to produce when starter Fred VanVleet wasn't on the court.

Who Houston drafted: The Rockets aren't scheduled to pick until 39th and 53rd overall in the second round, having traded away their 2026 first-rounder back in 2019 and part of a trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston that year.

What was the team need: The Pelicans could use more outside shooting, particularly if they intend to continue to build around power forward Zion Williamson. Trey Murphy III is New Orleans' lone reliable outside shooting threat, and he's been mentioned in trade talks so often that it's not entirely clear how long his tenure with the Pelicans will endure.

Who New Orleans drafted: The Pelicans entered the draft without a first-round choice, having traded it away last year to Atlanta so New Orleans could acquire a second 2025 first-rounder that was used to take Derik Queen. Pelicans basketball operations chief Joe Dumars expressed interest in making a trade to get back into the first round this year, but apparently couldn't find a deal he liked. New Orleans wasn't slated to pick until late in the second round, at 58th overall.

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AP Sports Writers Teresa Walker, Schuyler Dixon along with AP freelancers Clay Bailey and Raul Dominguez contributed to this story.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba