Despite acquiring four first-round picks from the Orlando Magic in exchange for Desmond Bane earlier this week, the Memphis Grizzlies are supposedly not going to be in the running for Kevin Durant.
The Grizzlies will not be trading for the Phoenix Suns star this offseason, according to Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. This information comes courtesy of NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.
There was a lot of talk that the Grizzlies would be starting over after trading Bane to the Magic. After the deal, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated that teams in the league were planning to “investigate” trades involving players Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant.
The Miami Heat were even said to be interested in Morant after the trade.
Discussions over Memphis cutting ties with Morant and Jackson soon died down, though.
On Monday, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps stated that the Grizzlies are reportedly “not looking” to trade either player. Conversely, as Bontemps reports, Memphis is aiming to “complete a renegotiation and extension” with Jackson.
By stating on social media that he intends to remain in the 901, Morant also disregarded the possibility of trade discussions.
The future of the team’s competitiveness is uncertain in light of the rumors that the organization is not interested in acquiring Durant and the apparent decision to keep Morant and Jackson in Memphis.
With Morant and Jackson at the foundation of their roster, the Grizzlies appeared to be a serious contender in 2022, making it all the way to the conference semifinals and extending the eventual champion Golden State Warriors to six games.
Despite making it to the playoffs twice, Memphis was eliminated in the first round each time. Since then, they have failed to produce anything noteworthy.
Because injuries—particularly to Morant—have played a significant role, the Grizzlies may be interested in seeing how the club performs when healthy.
Memphis now has a ton of draft capital after trading for Bane earlier this week, so it can make a move if it wants to.
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