Memphis Moved Up Five Spots for Xavier Tillman
Memphis traded the draft rights to Robert Woodard II and a 2022 second-round pick to Sacramento for the rights to Xavier Tillman, moving from No. 40 to No. 35 in the 2020 draft. It was a targeted move rather than a generic second-round swap. Tillman had been the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Michigan State, and the Grizzlies signed him to a multi-year contract immediately after the draft. Memphis paid an extra future second to secure the specific frontcourt prospect it wanted, then received rotation value almost immediately.
Tillman Became a Four-Year Rotation Piece
Tillman played 184 regular-season games for Memphis before his 2024 trade to Boston. He started 56 of them, defended multiple frontcourt positions and also appeared in 18 playoff games through his first three seasons. By June 2023, the Grizzlies had already exercised his fourth-year option after he averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 2022-23. Memphis eventually converted him again, sending Tillman to the Celtics for Lamar Stevens and two future second-round picks. That combination of usable minutes, playoff service and later trade return is the core of the A- grade.
Sacramento's Two Pieces Produced Limited NBA Value
Woodard never developed into a Kings rotation player. He appeared in 25 NBA games across two seasons, averaged 1.1 points in 3.5 minutes and was waived in February 2022. Sacramento did retain the accompanying second-round pick, which landed at No. 49 in the 2022 draft. The Kings traded that selection to Cleveland before the draft for Sasha Vezenkov's rights and cash. Vezenkov eventually joined Sacramento and played 42 games in 2023-24, so the second was not worthless, but its realized NBA impact remained modest compared with Tillman's four-year Memphis run.
The Downstream Value Widened the Gap
This is more than a hindsight comparison between the No. 35 and No. 40 picks. Memphis received a player who filled real regular-season and playoff roles and later generated another player plus two seconds when moved to Boston. Sacramento received 25 low-minute Woodard appearances, then turned the extra second into Vezenkov's rights and cash; Vezenkov supplied one reserve season before being moved in 2024. The Kings did recover something from the second-round component, but they never approached the duration or repeat asset value Memphis created from Tillman. The canonical grade spread appropriately reflects that difference.
Final Verdict
Grizzlies Win — Memphis A-, Sacramento D. Memphis paid the rights to Robert Woodard II and a 2022 second-round pick to move up for Xavier Tillman, then received 184 regular-season games, meaningful playoff minutes and a later trade return of Lamar Stevens plus two future seconds. Woodard played only 25 NBA games for Sacramento, while the extra second became the No. 49 pick that the Kings later exchanged for Sasha Vezenkov's rights and cash. Sacramento extracted some secondary value, but Memphis turned one draft-night move into years of rotation production and another asset package.