Just like most NBA fans, Ja Morant was also shocked when he heard that the Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony (who will reportedly go to the Milwaukee Bucks after securing a buyout), and several future draft picks last month.
Morant said that while he’ll miss having Bane as a teammate, looking at the bigger picture, he believes this was a win-win trade for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic.
“I was shocked, personally,” Morant said via Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “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,” he added.
Memphis Grizzlies News: Ja Morant raves about the team’s newest offseason additions
The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the busiest teams this offseason, and Ja Morant likes their newest additions. Besides acquiring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the team also brought in Ty Jerome and Jock Landale while re-signing Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Cam Spencer to new multi-year contracts.
“I felt like for us, having him be that vet around is definitely big-time for us,” Morant said about Caldwell-Pope. “Everybody knows what he does on the defensive end. For our young guys who are trying to push themselves to be that guy as well, they got a perfect vet to learn from.”
“Definitely another solid guard for us,” Morant said about Jerome. “Everybody seen what he done for a great Cleveland team this year. I honestly felt like he was a big piece of that team. To have him, we adding another ballhandler that can not only create for himself but for everybody else.”
