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Surprise West Team Predicted to Land Ja Morant After Grizzlies News originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Sacramento Kings are at a crossroads, similar to how they are almost every year. While, on paper, they're good enough to contend for a spot in the NBA Playoffs, they're not good enough to truly compete for an NBA Championship. The Kings made a shocking move when they sent De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-way trade with the Chicago Bulls, receiving Zach LaVine in return.
Bulls fans would be the first to tell you about the limitations of a team led by LaVine and DeMar DeRozan would have, but the Kings made the trade anyway. The Kings could look to cut costs by trading LaVine or DeRozan this summer and there are likely potential suitors out there.
The Orlando Magic made a surprise move on Sunday when it was announced they were trading Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four unprotected first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane. The Grizzlies have had a rough go of it the last couple of seasons and haven't lived up to their potential.
The trade could suggest that the Grizzlies are looking to cut costs and rebuild. If that's the case, Bane could just be the first to go, as they could look to trade Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. as well.
Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp named the Kings as a possible suitor for Morant if the Grizzlies decide to listen to offers for their point guard.
"Morant would certainly give them a star to build around, essentially replacing De'Aaron Fox after he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in February," Rapp wrote. "The Kings would probably try to get off of Zach LaVine's contract in the process in an effort to make the money work, so this would be an expensive move for them, but they have all of their own first-round picks going forward along with San Antonio's first in 2027 and Minnesota's in 2031."
Rapp then mentions a different trade package the Kings could offer the Grizzlies.
"An alternate path might be something like Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Jonas Valančiūnas and a mountain of picks for Morant, though a core group of Morant, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis would be an odd fit," Rapp wrote. "This might require another move or two to make sense for the Kings, but rebuilding around Morant would be more logical than keeping the status quo intact."
Many players around the league have been in trade rumors leading up to the NBA Draft, but Bane's potential trade came as a shock to many, as his name hadn't been mentioned in the discussions.
However, if this move is a signal that the Grizzlies are going into rebuild mode and considering the Kings never go into full rebuild mode, this could present an interesting opportunity for the Kings to acquire a young star to build around. While Morant has his challenges, the Kings would gladly take a talent of his level to pair with Domantas Sabonis.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
