Well, this is by far the most painful sight yet for Grizzlies fans these playoffs. The Jaren Jackson Jr. trade is still fresh on the minds of every Grizzlies fan, and Ja Morant's future is very much in doubt. To make matters worse for the fanbase, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. were seen courtside supporting Desmond Bane at Game 4 of his first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.
imagine me relaxing watching postseason basketball and all of a sudden the camera pans to this. literally needed a trigger warning https://t.co/xxLIwHp2Jf
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) April 28, 2026
It was not that long ago that Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. formed one of the most promising trios in the entire NBA. Fast forward to now: Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been traded by the Grizzlies in the past calendar year. Now, it looks like Ja Morant will be the next one traded this summer, and the Grizzlies will have a brand new core.
It still remains unfortunate that the Grizzlies' core fell short
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. sitting courtside to watch Desmond Bane is a harsh reminder of how fun the core was in Memphis not so long ago. After the 2021-22 season, the trio got their first taste of playoff experience, and the front office had plenty of assets to build a championship team. It would not have been unreasonable to think this was the core that would've brought the Grizzlies a championship.
Multiple things can be true. First, the core was let down by questionable coaching, and the front office did not push the right buttons with the required win-now moves. Second, a more harsh truth: it was becoming more clear over time that the Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. trio was going to be too flawed to win the Western Conference.
Factor in the rise of teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs and it is easy to understand why the Grizzlies decided to pivot to a rebuild. The Grizzlies did many things right to raise the floor of the team. However, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane, while still very good players, are not currently the MVP or All-NBA caliber talents needed to win a ring.
Regardless, it doesn't make it any less sad for Grizzlies fans to see the tight bond the trio has. They brought the city of Memphis some exciting basketball and remain very easy to root for regardless of where they play. However, today's moment at Game 4 in Orlando was a brutal reminder for the Grizzlies of how much they have fallen since the summer of 2022.
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