The Memphis Grizzlies trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in the middle of the NBA Finals sent shockwaves throughout the rest of the league. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant was the primary headline of NBA offseason trade rumors before the Grizzlies and Magic swooped in to execute a deal.
With contracts getting more expensive as Jaren Jackson Jr. is up for his next contract, the Grizzlies had to make a decision between keeping two of the three of Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, or Desmond Bane soon. They made their decision as Bane was the highest-paid player out of the three and hasn't made an All-Star team like the other two have.
Making that decision wasn't easy, but a first-round exit has been the team's ceiling for the last three seasons after a second-round appearance in 2022. While Bane helped bring back draft capital and two role players that complement Morant and Jackson Jr. well, the team shouldn't stop making additional roster moves for improvement.
The Grizzlies should continue rearranging their roster
The biggest takeaway from Bane being traded on the national scale was wondering if the Grizzlies are planning to rebuild with Morant and Jackson Jr. being next. However, local media and the team have made it clear that they acquired the assets to retool the roster to better complement their big two.
With the additional draft picks in tow, the Grizzlies can now sell off unwanted assets and round out the roster for a contending team. Santi Aldama is a restricted free agent who has a one-dimensional skillset better served for another team as a big man who plays like a wing and can't defend at a high level.
Utilizing him as a sign-and-trade asset would benefit the Grizzlies for multiple reasons. They currently lack experienced 3-and-D wing players and have multiple bigs that overlap in skill sets. Santi was the team's biggest offensive spark off the bench but they can upgrade in that department.
Also, the Desmond Bane trade split his contract into two, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony as additional players that can be used to match in another deal. John Konchar and Brandon Clarke were the only other manageable contracts the team had to utilize in a deal to attempt to improve the team.
Four additional future first-round draft picks along with the team's own picks help to sweeten any deal they want to accomplish with the trading of any of those players along with young prospects GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. Memphis has the tools at their disposal, it's now up to their general manager, Zach Kleiman, to properly utilize them to take the next step.