When fully healthy, the Memphis Grizzlies’ nucleus of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane has proven capable of achieving great success.
Prior to their injury-plagued 2023-24 season, these trio led the team to 107 total wins, consecutive Southwest Division titles, and a semifinal berth in 2022, their first since 2015.
Despite these accomplishments, some believe that it will take more than just good health and off-court behavior for this club to legitimately enter the title-favorite conversation, and, according to Sir Charles In Charge’s Michael Saenz, trading players like Bane should be strongly considered as a way for them to improve their chances of winning a title.
Grizzlies urged to consider trading Desmond Bane this summer
In today’s current era of basketball, star power is the name of the game, and the more stars a team has, the higher its chances of winning the championship. Though the Grizzlies already have a superstar point guard in Morant and a great big man in Jackson, Saenz appears to believe that Bane is the weakest link in their big three, which is why he’s encouraging Zach Kleiman and company to “explore” what his trade worth would be.
“There’s a case to be made that if the Grizzlies want to resurface as a Western Conference contender, they’ll need more complementing players around Morant. I would argue that they merely need a stronger second alternative. Desmond Bane may not be ready to take a main supporting position on a championship contender, despite his impressive performance in the first four years of his career.
If the Grizzlies follow that line of thinking, they may consider trading Bane. Attaching a first-round selection or two to Bane’s contract may result in a significant return for the Grizzlies on the trade market.
Desmond Bane COOKED all night and put up a new career high ‼️
49 PTS / 19-31 FGM / 4-8 3PM / 8 AST pic.twitter.com/zqM0hcPRIQ
— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2023
Despite persistent ailments throughout the season, Bane consistently produced career-best performances when available.
In 42 games, the fourth-year pro averaged 23.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and a steal while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep.
While these efforts did not result in much overall team success, as the Grizzlies finished with a dismal record of 27-55 and were only 14-28 when he played, his counting stats and advanced metrics (+2.8 box plus-minus) indicate that Bane is more than capable of elevating his already highly praised game to new heights when necessary.
This is something fans should be excited about when considering Memphis’s potential with him, Morant, and Jackson all back on the court together next season, but Saenz believes Kleiman and co. should use him as a headline asset in an offseason blockbuster to land another star-caliber running mate for Ja.
Of course, the site-expert did note that the “Grizzlies would have to be careful in their trade pursuits,” noting that the “last thing Memphis needs is to make a rash move just for the sake of making a deal.”
However, based on the rumour mill and this summer’s predicted crop of available talents, the only semi-plausible agreements with Bane in tow would almost surely be “rash” and “just for the sake of making a deal.”
For those who are familiar with this squad when it is fully intact, it appears that all they need is another piece or two added to their core to propel them back into championship contention, rather than trading one of them away for a potential replacement option.
At this juncture, the front office’s primary attention should be on free agency, the trade market, and the forthcoming NBA Draft, with the goal of strengthening the rotation around Morant, Jackson, and, yes, Bane for 2024-25.
