Cameron Boozer to the Grizzlies Is a Match Made in Heaven: Why Memphis Is the Perfect Fit
Cameron Boozer is going to be a Memphis Grizzly. The math, the fit, and the front office’s stated draft philosophy all point in one direction.
The Grizzlies have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The two players going in front of them are AJ Dybantsa to the Wizards and most likely Darryn Peterson to the Jazz. That leaves Boozer, the National Player of the Year at Duke, sitting there for Memphis at three.
Every mock draft from Bleacher Report to ESPN to The Athletic has Boozer going to the Grizzlies. Multiple league sources have called it a “match made in heaven.” The reasoning is not complicated.
Boozer is a 6-foot-9 power forward who can shoot, rebound, and pass. He averaged 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists at Duke as a freshman. He shot 39 percent from 3 on real volume. He is the son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer and has the basketball pedigree to go with the production. He is, by a wide margin, the safest pick in this draft class.
Memphis already has Zach Edey at center. Edey is 7-foot-3, dominant in the paint, and limited as a shooter. Pairing him with Boozer at the four solves Memphis’s biggest problem on offense, which is floor spacing around Edey. Boozer can space the floor, run pick-and-pop with Ja Morant, and play next to Edey in matchups where the Grizzlies need size.
The defensive fit is also good. Boozer is not an elite athlete, but he is a smart team defender who knows how to play within a system. The Grizzlies have built a defensive identity around Jaren Jackson Jr. and Edey. Boozer slides into that system without disrupting anything.
The bigger picture for Memphis is that this draft pick has to hit. The Grizzlies have been a contender on paper for three straight seasons and have not made it out of the second round. The window with Morant is shrinking. The Western Conference is loaded with younger, healthier rosters. Memphis needs the No. 3 pick to immediately contribute.
Boozer can do that. He is not a project. He played a high-major college schedule and dominated it. He is going to step onto an NBA floor in October and produce 12 points and seven rebounds a game while shooting 38 percent from 3. That is what the Grizzlies need at the four.
The ceiling is the real conversation. Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney compared Boozer’s range of outcomes to Kevin Love on the high end and Al Horford on the low end. Both of those guys had All-Star careers and won an NBA championship. That is the type of career the Grizzlies are betting on.
The Duke factor is also worth mentioning. Cooper Flagg went No. 1 to Dallas last year. Boozer is going No. 3 this year. Duke is producing top-three picks at a rate that no other school can match right now. Jon Scheyer’s program has become the development factory for top NBA talent.
There is a small chance the Grizzlies trade the No. 3 pick rather than use it on Boozer. Memphis has been rumored to be active in trade talks for veterans. A package centered around the No. 3 pick could land them an All-Star type. The smart bet, though, is they keep it.
Boozer at three for Memphis is the kind of move that defines a draft cycle. He fits the roster, he fits the system, and he is the kind of player who shows up to work every day and makes everyone around him better.
The Grizzlies’ fans should clear a calendar item for June 23. They are about to get the player they have been waiting for.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
