The Memphis Grizzlies sent rookie center Hasheem Thabeet, who was drafted 2nd overall in last year’s NBA draft, to the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League.

The move makes the 7-foot-3 Thabeet the highest NBA draft pick to be placed in the NBA’s minor league.

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Previous to Thabeet’s assignment, Portland’s Martell Webster, the No. 6 pick in the 2005 draft, held that distinction. He played eight games for the Fort Worth Flyers in the D-League in 2005-06, but has since developed into a solid player for the Trailblazers,

The 23-year-old Thabeet has had a difficult time adjusting to the speed of the NBA, fouling out in 11 minutes in just his third NBA game. Thabeet averaged 2.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 50 games.

Hamed Haddadi has recently moved up in the rotation for the Memphis Grizzlies. The second-year player from Iran, has been the primary backup the last three games to starting center Marc Gasol.

The former Connecticut star scored a career-best 10 points on Jan. 2 at Phoenix.