Could the Grizzlies acquire Kevin Durant without giving up Jackson or Bane?

According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, the Memphis Grizzlies have made “new inquiries” to the Nets in trading for Kevin Durant.

While this is very intriguing information, Charania also reported that the Grizzlies are keeping Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane off of the table for now in any potential offer, and would rather build a package around their abundance of future draft picks.

At face value, this sounds like an incredible opportunity for the Grizzlies to snag one of the best players in the world while also retaining the two key members of their core next to Ja Morant. The question is: Will the Grizzlies realistically be able to acquire Kevin Durant without giving up Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane?

The answer is probably no.

Proposed Memphis Grizzlies trade for Kevin Durant without Jackson or Bane

If the Grizzlies were to make an offer to the Nets under these circumstances, it would probably look something like this:

Grizzlies Receive- Kevin Durant

Nets Receive- Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, Ziaire Williams, Danny Green, 4 Future Grizzlies Unprotected First Round Picks, Warriors 2024 Lightly Protected First Round Pick

More than likely, this still will not be enough for the Nets to part ways with their unhappy superstar.

There is a pretty good chance that it was Brooklyn themselves who leaked that Memphis, who have one of the most intriguing combinations of young assets and future draft picks out of any team in the league, showed a recent surge of interest to try to raise the value of any other offer that they would receive for Durant.

It was reported in the same article by Shams that the Pelicans, Hawks, 76ers, Bucks, and Nuggets have all shown recent interest while the Celtics, Raptors, and Heat are considered “the most serious candidates” in a potential deal at this time.

Leaking the Grizzlies’ interest to the media has the potential to entice other interested general managers to increase their offers if they truly want Durant’s services next season.

If the Grizzlies have to include Bane or Jaren in a deal for Kevin Durant, then the deal should not be made. Our own Jacob Ellerbee wrote in his most recent article why the Grizzlies should bet on themselves and resist giving up their amplitude of valuable young assets for an aging Durant.

General Manager Zach Kleiman has done a phenomenal job of instilling a special culture in Memphis, and I do not think it is worth risking losing that culture as well as a potential future all-star next to Ja Morant for an injury prone 34 year-old who has a history of asking his way out of good situations that do not work out immediately in his favor.

The reality of the situation is, not including either Jaren Jackson Jr. or Desmond Bane in a package for Kevin Durant will not get the job done.