Ja Morant Shares His Honest Reaction To Desmond Bane Trade

Ja Morant Shares His Honest Reaction To Desmond Bane Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Memphis Grizzlies kicked the tires of their offseason by shockingly trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic.

Bane seemed to be an integral part of their core, joining Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. as one of their leading scorers.

That's why even Morant thought the trade was fake. In a recent interview with Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, the former No. 2 pick admitted to being surprised by this decision:

“I was shocked, personally,” Morant said. “I got the message from Des. To see it all over the internet, I thought the [expletive] was fake, honestly. It’s best for both sides. Des is going to a very talented Orlando team. I feel like he’s the piece that they’ve been missing.”

The Grizzlies got a king's ransom for Bane, landing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and one first-round pick swap. They landed this year's No. 16 pick and moved up to No. 11 to land Cedric Cowerd.

Also, with Jackson getting a supermax contract extension worth $240 million, moving on from Bane, who still has four years left in his $197 million contract, was a tough yet logical decision from a financial standpoint.

Bane averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in 69 appearances for the Grizzlies last season, and he will now give the Magic the floor-spacing guard they've been craving for years.

Memphis made the most of a big haul and an opportunity to share big money off their books, and while it might not necessarily help them this season, it will allow them to remain competitive for years to come.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.