Grizzlies urged to 'explore' idea of trading Desmond Bane this offseason

When completely healthy, this Memphis Grizzlies core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane has proven capable of coming across great success.

During the two seasons prior to their injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign, this trio guided the team to 107 total wins, consecutive Southwest Division titles, and, in 2022, advanced to their first semifinal appearance since 2015.

Yet, despite these accomplishments, some are still of the belief that it may take more than just health and good behavior off the hardwood for this club to legitimately thrust themselves into the title-favorite conversation, and, per Sir Charles In Charge's Michael Saenz, trading the likes of Bane should be strongly considered as a way for them to better their odds of winning a title.

Grizzlies urged to consider trading Desmond Bane this summer

In today's modern age of basketball, the name of the game is star power, and the more a team has the better their odds of winning a championship are. Though the Grizzlies already have a superstar point guard in Morant and a star big in Jackson already in place, Saenz seems to believe that the weakest link of their big three may be Bane, which is why he's urging Zach Kleiman and company to "explore" what his value could be on the trade market.

"There's an argument to be made that if the Grizzlies want to reemerge as a contender in the Western Conference they'll need stronger complementary pieces around Morant. I'd argue they may only need a stronger No. 2 option. For as good as Desmond Bane has been through the first four years of his career, he may not be ready to embrace a primary supporting role on a championship contender.

If the Grizzlies tend to lean on that line of thinking, there's a chance that the Grizzlies could look to trade Bane. Attaching a first-round pick or two to Bane's contract could bring about a strong return for the Grizzlies on the trade market."

- Michael Saenz

Despite suffering from nagging injuries throughout this season, Bane still found himself putting forth career-best efforts when available.

Through 42 games played, the fourth-year pro went on to post stellar averages of 23.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and a steal while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from deep.

While these efforts sadly did not translate into much overall team success, as the Grizzlies finished with a putrid record of 27-55 and were a mere 14-28 when he played, what his counting stats and advanced metrics (+2.8 box plus-minus) suggest is that Bane is more than capable of bringing his already highly-praised game to greater heights when needed.

This is something fans should be excited about when pondering on the potential Memphis has with him, Morant, and Jackson all back on the court together come next season, but, instead, Saenz is more of the belief that Kleiman and co. should be looking to 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 say 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 rumor mill and this summer's expected crop of available talents, as things currently stand, the only semi-plausible deals that could be made with Bane in tow would almost certainly be "rash" and "just for the sake of making a deal."

For those remotely familiar with this team when fully intact, it would appear that all they need is another piece or two to be added to their core in order to thrust themselves back into championship-contender status, not trade one of them away for a possible replacement option.

At this point in time, the front office's focus should primarily be on free agency, the trade market, and the upcoming NBA Draft with the mindset of bolstering the rotation around Morant, Jackson, and, yes, Bane heading into 2024-25.