Which players were drafted by the Suns and Grizzlies but never played for them? NBA HoopGrids answers for September 11

An all-new NBA HoopGrids was released on Sept. 11. The basketball trivia game continues to be a pastime for many hoops fans who cannot wait for the 2023-24 NBA season to commence.

Monday's puzzle has three special categories: a player who played 10 or more seasons in the NBA, a player who never played for the team that drafted him, and a player who never made the playoffs.

On that note, here's a look at the clues for the Sept. 11 edition of the NBA HoopGrids:

• Grid 1: Player who played for the New Orleans Pelicans and played at least 10 seasons in the NBA
• Grid 2: Player who was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans but never played for them
• Grid 3: Player who played for the New Orleans Pelicans but never played in the playoffs
• Grid 4: Player who played for the Phoenix Suns and played at least 10 seasons in the NBA
• Grid 5: Player who was drafted by the Phoenix Suns but never played for them
• Grid 6: Player who played for the Phoenix Suns but never played in the playoffs
• Grid 7: Player who played for the Memphis Grizzlies and played at least 10 seasons in the NBA
• Grid 8: Player who was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies but never played for them
• Grid 9: Player who played for the Memphis Grizzlies but never played in the playoffs

For Monday's NBA HoopGrids, let's try to answer grids 5 and 8: which players drafted by the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies never played for their respective teams?

The Suns selected Bogdan Bogdanovic 27th overall in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft. Bogdanovic decided to stay in Europe, and his draft rights were traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2016. He decided to come to the league a year later and signed with the Kings.

Meanwhile, Steve Francis was drafted second overall by the Grizzlies in 1999. Francis did not want to play in Vancouver at the time and was traded to the Houston Rockets in an 11-player, three-team deal with the Orlando Magic before the start of the 1999-2000 season.

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NBA HoopGrids alternative answers

The only way for participants to lower their rarity score is by using unpopular answers. Here are some alternative answers for grids 5 and 8.

Players drafted by the Suns but never played for them: George Gervin, Luol Deng, Rajon Rondo, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez

Players drafted by the Grizzlies but never played for them: C. J. Bruton, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Love, Trey Murphy III, Walker Kessler

Here's an example of a completed NBA HoopGrids for Monday:

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