{"id":534272,"date":"2026-01-13T17:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/534272\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T17:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T17:31:16","slug":"desmond-bane-breaks-silence-on-grizzlies-moving-closer-to-ja-morant-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/534272\/","title":{"rendered":"Desmond Bane breaks silence on Grizzlies moving closer to Ja Morant trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Orlando Magic<\/a> star guard Desmond Bane<\/a> addressed swirling trade rumors surrounding former Memphis Grizzlies teammate Ja Morant<\/a> as the two teams prepare for back\u2011to\u2011back contests in Europe as part of the NBA\u2019s Global Games series. The Magic and Grizzlies meet Thursday at 2:00 p.m. ET in Berlin<\/a> on Prime Video, with a rematch scheduled Sunday at 12:00 p.m. ET in London.<\/p>\n

Bane, who was traded this past summer and now helps lead the 22\u201118 Magic, spoke with The Athletic\u2019s Joe Vardon about Morant\u2019s situation and the speculation that Memphis may be moving closer to a blockbuster decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wrap your arms around anybody that\u2019s got that type of spotlight or anything like that going on with him,\u201d Bane said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJa just wants to play basketball and be in a place where he feels valued. And, hopefully, if it doesn\u2019t happen in Memphis, he gets that, you wherever his next stop is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morant, a two\u2011time All\u2011Star and former NBA Most Improved Player, has been the subject of extensive trade chatter following a tumultuous start to the season for the Grizzlies. ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania reported last Friday that the organization has begun to consider trade offers<\/a> for the guard as the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline approaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time, the Memphis Grizzlies are entertaining offers to potentially move two\u2011time All\u2011Star Ja Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, sources tell ESPN,\u201d Charania wrote.<\/p>\n

While neither Morant nor Grizzlies officials have publicly commented on the report, questions about Morant\u2019s future have followed the team through recent losses and internal friction. The Grizzlies, who entered their European swing with a 17\u201122 record, have struggled to maintain consistency, and the possibility of a Morant trade \u2014 long considered unlikely by some analysts \u2014 now appears more real.<\/p>\n

Desmond Bane addresses Ja Morant trade talk ahead of Magic-Grizzlies game in Berlin\"OrlandoBrett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Despite the ongoing speculation, Morant\u2019s immediate focus for Memphis remains on the court. He missed the team\u2019s last few games due to a right groin issue, but Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo offered a hopeful update<\/a> regarding Morant\u2019s availability for the Berlin matchup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not in the business of commenting on random internet reports,\u201d Iisalo said. \u201cHe\u2019s progressing in the practices. He\u2019s already able to do a lot of the parts of practice, so looking good to progress (toward playing).\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed specifically on the chances Morant will play Thursday, Iisalo said:
\u201cThere is a chance he will play in the global games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morant\u2019s potential return adds an intriguing wrinkle to a series of games that serve as part of the NBA\u2019s effort to expand its global footprint. The Grizzlies will also face the Magic again in London on Sunday, offering teams and fans in Europe two chances to see American professional basketball at the highest level.<\/p>\n

For Bane, the focus remains on competition and support for players navigating the pressures of professional basketball. His comments highlighted both a connection to Morant\u2019s journey and the understanding that the league\u2019s business side can bring uncertainty for even its biggest stars.<\/p>\n

As both the Magic and Grizzlies prepare for their international tilt, the Morant story continues to evolve, with the specter of a trade looming as the deadline draws nearer and each game becomes increasingly significant for both franchise and player futures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Orlando Magic star guard Desmond Bane addressed swirling trade rumors surrounding former Memphis Grizzlies teammate Ja Morant as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":534273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3779],"tags":[7,497,178,48,177,6,47,76,3883],"class_list":{"0":"post-534272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando-magic","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-desmond-bane","10":"tag-ja-morant","11":"tag-magic","12":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-orlando","15":"tag-orlando-magic","16":"tag-orlandomagic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115888986145550866","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=534272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/534272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/534273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=534272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=534272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=534272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}