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Kennedy Chandler

 UT Athletics

Although Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler experienced a bit of a draft day fall, the 19-year-old guard ended up in perhaps the best situation.

Drafted No. 38 overall by the San Antonio Spurs, Chandler was traded to his hometown Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a future second-round pick and cash, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, reuniting him with friend Ja Morant.

A Memphis native, Chandler was a back-to-back Mr. Basketball winner at Briarcrest Christian School. He transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas where he led the school to its first-ever appearance in the Geico Nationals, where SCU reached the tournament final. He was named a McDonald’s, Spalding and Sports Illustrated All-American as a senior and was tabbed the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.

Chandler, the No. 17-ranked draft prospect by ESPN, averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game in 34 appearances for the Vols last season and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, the All-SEC second team and the Freshman All-America team.

Leading UT in scoring, assists and steals, Chandler also led the SEC in steals and ranked fifth in assists. He helped guide Tennessee to its first SEC Tournament championship in more than four decades and was named tournament MVP. He left school after one year to fulfill his “lifelong dream” of playing in the NBA.

Chandler is the Vols fourth first-round pick in the last four years and the sixth player drafted since 2019, joining Keon Johnson, Jaden Springer, and Grant Williams (first round), and Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone (second round).

The Grizzlies also signed former UT forward Yves Pons last year as an undrafted free agent. Although he spent most of the 2021 season in the G  League with the Memphis Hustle, Pons appeared in 12 games with the Grizzlies, averaging 1.1 points, 1 rebound and 5.9 minutes per game.

Follow Michael Gallagher on Twitter @MGsports_