Former Duke star Jay Williams urges Grizzlies to trade $197 million superstar after shocking deal

The Memphis Grizzlies had a rollercoaster season but managed to secure a spot in the NBA Playoffs after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the Play-In Tournament. However, their postseason run was short-lived, as they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are now facing the Indiana Pacers in what has been an exciting NBA Finals series.

Amid the Kevin Durant trade rumors and the Finals buzz, the Grizzlies made headlines of their own by trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic.

“The Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap Sunday,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.

Jalen Suggs of the Magic expressed his excitement about adding a player like Bane to the roster and believes this marks the beginning of a championship push.

“Having a player of his caliber come in. It's been a while and the Grizzlies have had their turmoil. I texted him yesterday morning and said I'm excited to start this championship journey with you,” Suggs said.

Colin Cowherd sees the trade as a clear signal that the Magic believe they're close to contending for a title.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

“What Orlando is saying is look at Indiana. Paolo Banchero is better than anybody potentially on Indiana. Can Franz Wagner be as good as Pascal Siakam? Why not us? I think Orlando's looking at these finals and at the Pacers and saying Jayson Tatum's hurt for Boston, New York's got a ceiling offensively, why not us," Cowherd said.

Meanwhile, ESPN analyst Jay Williams believes the Grizzlies should consider an even bigger move—trading superstar Ja Morant.

“If I were [Grizzlies GM] Zach Kleiman in Memphis, I would highly, highly, highly consider [trading Ja Morant]. I saw Desmond Bane get traded for five first-round picks. I wonder what the value for Ja Morant could be?" Williams said.

Such a trade would likely signal a full rebuild for the Grizzlies, but the return could set them up well for the future. While nothing is certain yet, it’s a storyline worth keeping an eye on this summer.