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The Memphis Grizzlies are in the middle of a crossroads and they will have to make plenty of tough decisions this offseason. The team has failed to make forward progress over the past few seasons; the 2023-24 season was an all-out disaster amid the team's injury woes, and then during the 2024-25 campaign, they lost the plot over halfway through the season, culminating in a disastrous first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It's not quite clear where the Grizzlies go from here; in a loaded Western Conference, it looks like many teams are passing Memphis by. They lost their identity over the past few years; during their rise to contention earlier this decade, they were a hard-nosed, gritty defensive team that got into the face of their opponents. Following the departures of Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams, their identity has been in flux, and they seem to be moving backwards as a result.
There are still plenty of reasons to be hopeful regarding the Grizzlies' future. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are still in the middle of their primes, and the organization has shown an incredible ability to unearth incredible diamonds in the rough, as evidenced by the emergence of Scotty Pippen Jr. as one of the best role players in the NBA.
But if the Grizzlies do decide to start from scratch, their best players should draw plenty of interest on the trade market. And when it comes to what other teams would need to give up as well as the ease with which that player can fit on any team, Bane stands out as an appealing trade target — especially for these teams.
3. Houston Rockets
What's been made clear for the Houston Rockets throughout the 2024-25 season is that they are in dire need of some added offensive punch to round out their burgeoning young core. Armed with plenty of quality young prospects and draft picks, the Rockets could have made a move this past season but chose not to. But for them to take the next step, it looks like they have to look for outside help.
Desmond Bane would be an upgrade over Jalen Green from an efficiency and playmaking standpoint. Green, outside of one game, has been a disaster all throughout the playoffs, and while he's only 23 years old and deserves to get cut some slack in his first playoff run, contending windows rarely open, and the Rockets must take advantage of the fact that they can still add to their young core before breaking the bank completely once they need to extend the likes of Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. past their rookie deals.
Be that as it may, it looks like the Rockets are saving their assets for when a top-10 or top-15 player becomes available on the trade market. Perhaps with the Milwaukee Bucks flaming out in grand fashion, the Rockets could insert themselves into the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade conversations, which could then knock them out of the running for the Grizzlies marksman's services.
2. Orlando Magic
Speaking of teams with burgeoning young cores, the Magic are entering the offseason having already been knocked out of playoff contention by the Boston Celtics in dire need of offensive reinforcements. They ranked 27th in offensive rating this past season and were very prone to offensive dry spells, and with the injury to Jalen Suggs, they didn't have much in the way of reliable shot-creation outside of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Desmond Bane will immediately come in as the Magic's best perimeter shooter who can also take some playmaking load off of Banchero and Wagner's shoulders. Bane averaged over five assists this past season and is not too shabby defensively, and he would represent a huge upgrade over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Perhaps the Magic can entice the Grizzlies in a potential trade by building an offer around Anthony Black, Jett Howard, and Tristan Da Silva.
1. Detroit Pistons
There isn't any team making a better name for itself during this year's playoffs than the Detroit Pistons. Led by a true superstar in Cade Cunningham, these Pistons are showing that their playoff berth in 2025 is no fluke, provided, of course, that their core players remain healthy.
The opportunity is there for the Pistons to take the next step. Jaden Ivey will be returning next season, and Detroit is likely to bring Malik Beasley back as well, but Desmond Bane is a much more consistent and reliable option than those two and he's in the middle of his prime at a reasonable total salary of around $162 million over the next four seasons.
A Cunningham and Bane backcourt would be incredible for the Pistons and would set them up to be a powerhouse in the East especially when the rest of the team's young core blossoms further.
