Brian Windhorst drops Grizzlies ‘rebuild’ truth bomb on Desmond Bane trade

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Brian Windhorst drops Grizzlies ‘rebuild’ truth bomb on Desmond Bane trade

Zachary Weinberger · ClutchPoints

Sun, Jun 15, 2025 ·

2 min read

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The post Brian Windhorst drops Grizzlies 'rebuild' truth bomb on Desmond Bane trade appeared first on ClutchPoints .

In what was shocking news on a Sunday morning, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in what has many debating the direction of the team. While some have said the Grizzlies should blow it all up and rebuild, one who echoed the same sentiments was ESPN's NBA insider Brian Windhorst .

Trading Bane to Orlando, Memphis got back in return Kentavious Caldwell-Pope , Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and one first-round pick swap. When Windhorst gave his initial reactions to the news, he would say on "SportsCenter" that the deal is a "rebuild trade."

"What does this mean for the Grizzlies? This is now what is being asked in the league, because this is a rebuild trade," Windhorst said. "While Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has proven to be a key piece of a championship contender twice in his career, last season did not look like that, and he has gotten older and has a big contract."

"So this is a trade where the Grizzlies are pivoting a little bit, and it's not an insane thing," Windhorst continued. "Because if you look at the Western Conference, and you look at how tough it is to compete, and you look at what Memphis thinks about their hand, it may be the time to do a little bit of a pivot. There's not almost anybody in the Western Conference who is really rebuilding right now; everyone's kind of got the gas put down."

Brian Windhorst on Grizzlies' future with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr.

After the Bane trade, many are wondering what the Grizzlies will do with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. , since the deal could signal a rebuilding process. Windhorst would ponder the same quarry as he mentioned how both Morant and Jackson are extension-eligible this summer.

"And so what this means is the next question is, what about Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr? And I don't know the answer to this," Windhorst said. "The whole league is now going to investigate this. We haven't heard from the Grizzlies yet, and if I was at the Grizzlies press conference…I'd be asking, do you intend to extend Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr, both of whom are extension-eligible this summer? Is that what you're doing now? Or are you pivoting the franchise? So to me, that's the big story emanating out of this trade."

At any rate, Memphis is looking to improve after finishing with a 48-34 record, which put them eighth in the Western Conference as they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

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