Rob Parker: Memphis Grizzlies Should Trade Ja Morant

Rob Parker: Memphis Grizzlies Should Trade Ja Morant

um man we got some uh NBA stuff that has happened which could potentially lead to just a conversation of what could happen and uh tell us a little bit about some trades between the Magic and the Grizzlies yeah guys so you alluded to it earlier in the show I believe but the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kavius Caldwell Pope Cole Anthony uh four unprotected first round picks and one first round pick swap on Sunday um so Orlando sending Memphis the number 16 pick in the 2025 NBA draft which is just a few weeks away so that’s the most significant thing uh in the short term but what do you guys think interesting cuz you start to think to yourself okay what is Memphis doing here are they ready ready to do a rebuild right tear it down get all these pigs some stuff and do some stuff john Mor if I’m Memphis I might be ready to make that move and decide he needs a new scenery just just like we’re this this has kind of gone off the rails with him and what’s happened it’s just not the same thing we were looking at this team just years ago as like this team that had a chance in the West could have been the Thunder if you will exactly they should have been the Thunder if if things didn’t get derailed the last couple of years with his off the court antics and whatnot that really has derailed his career and put him on the back burner at least for now uh if you could get a good deal now I’m not giving them away now remember I’m not saying that you got to be able to get something that makes it worthwhile like they just got a hall for Bane i mean they got a hall yeah if you could get a hall I think there’s something there because I don’t know where Memphis fits in right now in the West and maybe it is to do a rebuild we saw one in Orlando and what they’ve done and now they’re starting to add some other pieces right yeah i Where are you are you know I’m I’m I’m trading J no I’m not trading J and I like the trade they did with Bane i’ll tell you why number one I’m a big big fan of a healthy Cole Anthony cole Anthony to me is one of those players he’s got energy he’s got uh extreme confidence he can shoot he can get to the rack he’s he’s athletic for his smaller frame so I’m a big fan of that and KCP is like a poorer man’s Bane you know good defender obviously really good defender and he’s past his prime at this point but can knock down threes and I think with them they have enough guy they view it as we have enough with Jaw that if we start to have some guys who can knock down some shots Cole Anthony can bring a different type of offense than Jaw different pacing than Jaw uh so we have that in him and they’ve got some J Triple J jiren Jackson Jr is an all-star guy can be a defensive player of the year candidate every year he can be an all-star guy he can give you kind of a 20 10 and with some block shots and I think they have that and I want to I like what they’re doing getting Cole Anthony getting some picks uh the 16th pick being able to build around that and they still have some pieces there as well that they want to give some more playing time i think they realized this trio wasn’t working so let’s build around the two in J and J Triple J let’s add in some other pieces and then let’s go find some other pieces some more throughout the offseason and through the trades and through drafts and to me the reason why I think they’re making this move now and why I’m absolutely not trading J is because this has the opportunity look how wide open the NBA is right now the Patriots could win and you’d be like next year the Thunder could win they might be the exception because of how 68 wins but you have so many if I told you you fell asleep for a year and I told you that Houston when Kevin Durant won the finals you’ be like “Oh wow.” If I told you Boston well not Boston they Tatum’s out if I told you the Lakers made a move and all of a sudden Luca healthy Luca and LeBron and the third person won it you wouldn’t be shocked if I told you that Jokic came back and won again there’s so many variables in this NBA this is now will be the seventh year of a different champion i think Memphis is saying it’s our go get it it’s wide open change up the pace go get some different players and we got a shot just as good as anybody i get that but I just think that job with with him in Memphis it just might be the right time for a change of scenery and even for the franchise the franchise don’t feel as good as it did they got rid of and that’s because Jaw’s there i’m just saying it doesn’t feel like Memphis is going anywhere to me it feels like they actually have taken a couple step back steps back and there’s like a dark cloud over it they got rid of the coach they stuck with Ja through multiple things including even this last run last few weeks before the season ended with the whole celebration thing is he shooting a gun don’t do that again do it again the next night uh don’t do it again all right what does he do i’mma throw grenades in the crowd like he clearly is just j is joying and the Grizzly said like a lot of women say he might be crazy but that’s my man and I’mma stick by him mary you know what I’m talking about don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about that’s my man i’mma stick by him girl hell no girl you know he did this he said that he’s doing that that’s my man i’mma stick by him and that’s what the Grizzlies are doing now that is my man i’mma stick by J and it reminds me of Allan Iverson with the 76ers growing up you remember that came in with a lot of stuff coming out of Virginia nobody else everybody rescended all their offers georgetown John Thompson sticks with him okay cool he ends up being an amazing player at Georgetown for a couple years goes to league this happens that happens little stuff kind of big stuff but the 76ers are like “He’s our guy and we’re gonna ride through the good the bad and they just stuck with him.” And I think that’s what the Grizzlies are doing they made they made it apparent they got rid of coaches they’re getting rid of Bane who’s been a model citizen and a good player they’re getting rid of everybody this is the We’re locked in with JJ Triple J and J just call it the 4Js but but you might wind up being the Atlanta Hawks hey holding on to Trey Young like you might want He’s better than Trey though no no I’m just saying i get what I get what you’re saying you know what I mean like like there’s a flux there in Atlanta where you’re like well what well what are we doing and I just think there’s something in Memphis now with him and when you trade Bane you know where are you going like are did you make your team better or worse i like Cole Anthony i like KCP veteran champion but he ain’t Bane they’re not Bane individually you got you got the other pieces to that you know what I’m saying like you love the draft picks but I’m just saying I I’m after you make a move like that you start to wonder where they’re going there’s no clear-cut like they didn’t make that move like oh they’re going for it like they put all their chips that’s not what that trade felt like to me it felt like they’re they’re pulling back like like they might now entertain trading John Moran not not the other i view it the opposite i view it as I don’t I don’t look at case we are committing to the 4 JS it is your teams J you’re the leader you’re the engine Triple J you are a second option and our best defender defensive player of the year candidate yearly it is your two team because I think the model is now two guys with a really good other players who find their their lanes and know what they’re doing and I think that is what we’re starting to see now we don’t have to have the three-headed monster we don’t have to have the super team we don’t have to have the Avengers unite assemble let’s get two very good players build a really good team around them and let’s model our team after the Thunder let’s model our team after the Pacers let’s model our team i’m sorry in the West I I I just The West is open though this is the most open there’s no There’s no Warriors sitting there where you’re like we ain’t gonna do nothing with that all right you’re telling me now uh with what’s out west I didn’t the me the Memphis uh Grizzlies didn’t move up in my mind after that trade did they where’d they go i’m saying it’s early you understand what I’m saying but usually if you make a trade and you do some situations like that you you move up or you go “Oh okay.” Like I don’t I just don’t Let’s say you had him six in the West or something like that i I have him up one more slot now because I like Cole Anthony that much i think he’s going to bring a different energy i think he’s going to bring a different pace i think he’s going to bring a different swagger i think KC Pri is going to bring some professionalism is what that locker room needs they need a pro in there and I think KCP will bring that obviously we’ll see what the 16th pick does um but if if they’re if they’re wise lately you’ve been able to get some of these good draft picks that aren’t like um rookie of the year averaging seven 17 but we see it with the Thunder you’ve seen it with the Pacers there’s a lot of quality players cuz they’re coming some of Gone are the days of having to go get the the the 19 year old you can get some of these 21 22 year old kids who can play because we’re starting to see that now i mean you and I you know my joke i watched the March Madness tournament i felt like I went to high school with some of these kids they were so old yeah some of the teams were older than the Oklahoma City Thunder literally so I just Everybody getting six and seven years a co year this year graduate year these these dudes are like and the NIL money they like go be in a G-League make you know 100,000 or 50 thou or go to the school get 200,000 i take the 200 be a man on campus no and not pay rent how about that no rent man on campus i’m saying no rent yeah i do that for another be go play for the you know the South Bay Lakers or some other team don’t nobody know me just sitting there i feel like you guys in a way are sort of both right or at least have a point to an extent because if you think about it they are they must be looking at both teams that are in the finals right now the Pacers and the Thunder and look at both went through a rebuild and you know stockpiled a ton of picks so I actually do think that the Grizzlies are kind of conceding that it’s time for a rebuild here but I think that they are doing it with the end goal being a championship and obviously that’s any NBA team but look at how both the teams that are in the finals right now both of them benefited from trading away a major player in Paul George picks for it and then drafting really really well and then being in the finals a few years ago but you get my point like like when you make that trade I didn’t look at it right away and go “Oh wow they’re they just took a step up in the West.” That’s not right well they traded away one of their best players which in theory takes them a step back but I think what Kelvin is saying is that they’re still the draft they’re still free agency so they’re not necessarily taking a step back we don’t really know yet sometimes you get addition by subtraction meaning maybe Bane was just be okay it’s that situ those three guys have plateaued and may maybe we’ll be better off with having a two-headed monster job being the spear on the offensive end triple J being the offensive end as but most you know especially the defensive end and then you got a bunch of guys starring in a row maybe Cole Anthony is about to be six man of the year giving you 16 to point off the bench with energ have you seen him play that he can play athletic can shoot again got toughness to him some grit as long as he stays healthy i’m actually shocked the Magic got rid of him but he’s a good piece to to get rid of and obviously if you’re the Magic you like bringing another Yeah if you’re the Magic you like this because now I got a shooter to with the with Paulo and uh Wagner Vagner he fits great with that he fits great so they got And I’m big on the Magic when it comes to this upcoming season that’s a nice young team this the NBA has a bunch of teams with a bunch of guys not just a LeBron and AD or you know Kyrie and LeBron or or Stefan it’s like a team with a bunch of guys which is why we keep getting these these one-time champions and then another year we get another

THE ODD COUPLE: Rob Parker & Kelvin Washington react to the Memphis Grizzlies trading away Desmond Bane and discuss what this move means for the future of the team.

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