logo
Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant breaks silence on Desmond Bane trade, new roster additions

Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant breaks silence on Desmond Bane trade, new roster additions

Yahoo16-07-2025
LAS VEGAS — Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant made a day trip to Las Vegas on July 12, supporting his teammates during NBA summer league action.
Morant, seated courtside, took in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Advertisement
For Morant, going to summer league was about making a statement. Memphis is building around him and co-star Jaren Jackson Jr., and Morant's appearance is a sign of him understanding his role.
"It's different from on TV," Morant said. "Obviously, I know me being here in person means a lot not only to these guys but to the organization as well. For me to be the leader of this team, I felt like it was very important."
Ja Morant 'shocked' by Desmond Bane trade
A lot has changed since Morant last spoke publicly about the Grizzlies. Trades and roster moves have shifted the outlook.
The most notable change was Desmond Bane being traded to the Orlando Magic.
Advertisement
"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."
Ja Morant talks Cedric Coward
GG JACKSON: How Memphis Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo is unlocking a new level for GG Jackson's game
One of the players the Grizzlies eventually acquired using an asset from the Bane trade was Cedric Coward, who they took in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Coward is expected to take pressure off Morant and Jackson with his defensive skill set and ability to shoot the ball.
Advertisement
"It's exciting," Morant said. "I'm just ready to see him hit the floor."
Jaren Jackson Jr.
The bigger Grizzlies move of the offseason was agreeing to a contract extension with Jackson.
Along with Morant, Jackson has been a core member of the Grizzlies. Morant is one of the Grizzlies players who has challenged Jackson the most to reach his potential, often reminding him how hard it is for opponents to guard him.
Now, Jackson will be rewarded with a new five-year deal.
"He deserves it," Morant said. "That's the heart of Memphis, the heart of this team. I feel like he deserves it. I thought it would have been way more, honestly. I don't understand the cap stuff."
Advertisement
GG Jackson seeks Ja Morant advice
GG Jackson, who has been one of the best Grizzlies players during summer league, is bonded with Morant not only as teammates, but also through their South Carolina ties.
During the Grizzlies' summer league games in Salt Lake City, Jackson reached out to Morant to see if he was taking in the action. Morant reminded Jackson that he needs to stay aggressive.
But there's another area Morant wants to see build in Jackson, and that's his leadership.
"It's time for him to grow in that aspect of his game," Morant said. "It's the perfect situation, being a third-year guy on this team and guys looking to do what you do."
Advertisement
Morant likes new additions
Memphis added veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the Bane trade, someone Morant has competed against for years.
"I felt like for us, having him be that vet around is definitely big-time for us," Morant said. "Everybody know 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."
The Grizzlies also dipped into the free agency pool, adding Ty Jerome. That is a move Morant also approved of.
"Definitely another solid guard for us," Morant said. "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."
Advertisement
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant talks Desmond Bane trade, roster changes
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Why did the Orioles and Rockies keep playing after fans evacuated seats?
Why did the Orioles and Rockies keep playing after fans evacuated seats?

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Why did the Orioles and Rockies keep playing after fans evacuated seats?

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies played through rain for about two innings Friday night even after fans were told to evacuate open areas of the seating bowl because of potential lightning in the area. It made for an unusual stretch of baseball at Camden Yards, with fans taking shelter for their own safety but players still on the field. The reason was that those two decisions are made by different people. The Orioles decided to clear fans from their seats, but the umpiring crew determines whether the game should continue. 'They did clear the stands unbeknownst to me,' crew chief Bill Miller said after Colorado's 6-5 win. "We are concerned about lightning, but the crew did not see any lightning in the area. We saw it from afar, but we didn't think at any time anybody on the field was in danger.' Fans were told to move around the start of the sixth inning, and it did indeed rain. Many spectators were still able to watch the game from sheltered seats with a view of the field. They were told they could go back to their original seats around the end of the seventh. The game was never delayed. 'I trust the fact that the umpires have our health and safety in their best judgment, and I applaud the Orioles for kind of clearing out the lower bowl and kind of mitigating any risk whatsoever, making sure that the fans were in a safe spot,' Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. Miller said he was receiving weather reports. 'I was getting updates every half-inning from the grounds crew gentleman. He said that we were going to get hit by a big storm in a half an hour. He said at 8:45 it was going to come. It was going to be windy, it was going to be rainy and there was going to be thunder and lightning,' Miller said. 'I asked him to give me a half-inning update, and it progressively diminished. The storm was decidedly moving south. He thought the top of it was going to catch us.' ___ AP MLB:

Bronny James could participate in Drew League in Los Angeles
Bronny James could participate in Drew League in Los Angeles

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Bronny James could participate in Drew League in Los Angeles

This month's summer league was a mixed bag for the Los Angeles Lakers. They went 1-3 in the main Las Vegas summer league, and Dalton Knecht, whom people were hoping would show some real signs of growth, struggled throughout. On the other hand, Bronny James played well on both ends of the floor, which has given people additional hope about his chances of eventually making it as an NBA rotation player. Every summer, the Drew League, a pro-am competition, is held in Los Angeles. There have been times when NBA superstars such as Kobe Bryant or LeBron James have shown up there, and commissioner Dino Smiley said that the younger James could participate this year. Via 'I've heard Bronny, but nothing clear on that yet. I heard Bronny might play. But nothing concrete. Earlier in the summer, there was talk about Dalton Knecht and Cam Christie playing.' The Drew League began play midway through last month, and its playoffs will start on Aug. 2. Some may be concerned that the younger James could get hurt playing against amateur players, but it could also give him an opportunity to sharpen his skills a bit and get in shape before training camp. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Bronny James could participate in Drew League in Los Angeles

Kyle Stowers homers, Otto Lopez hits tiebreaking double as Marlins beat Brewers
Kyle Stowers homers, Otto Lopez hits tiebreaking double as Marlins beat Brewers

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Kyle Stowers homers, Otto Lopez hits tiebreaking double as Marlins beat Brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) — All-Star Kyle Stowers hit his 23rd homer and Otto Lopez capped off a three-hit day with a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning to lead the Miami Marlins to a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. Lopez's double against Rick Mears cleared the bases, although he only got credit for two RBIs because the third run scored on a fielding error by center fielder Blake Perkins. Aaron Ashby (1-1), who allowed the leadoff batter to reach on an infield single, took the loss. Jackson Chourio hit his 17th homer for the Brewers, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 18 games. He's batting .367 (26 for 71) with four homers and 16 RBIs over that stretch. Miami's Cal Quantrill struck out four while allowing three hits without a walk over five innings. Josh Simpson (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth. Brewers starter Freddy Peralta also went five innings and allowed one run. Stowers sent Peralta's 2-2 changeup over the wall in center in the third. DIAMONDBACKS 1, PIRATES 0, 11 INNINGS PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryne Nelson and two relievers combined for a one-hitter, Eugenio Suarez had a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and Arizona beat Pittsburgh. Nelson surrendered a triple by Tommy Pham off the Clemente Wall in right field with two outs in the second — the ball glancing off right fielder Corbin Carroll's glove before hitting the wall and bounding away — during his six innings of work. Anthony DeSclafani (1-1) followed with four hitless innings of his own. Kevin Ginkel left the tying run on third in the 11th for his third save. Suarez, who is the subject of active trade speculation with the deadline approaching next week, lofted a fly ball of Braxton Ashcraft (2-1) just deep enough near the line in right in the top of the 11th to score Carroll. ROCKIES 6, ORIOLES 5 BALTIMORE (AP) — Ezequiel Tovar hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the top of the eighth inning, and Colorado beat Baltimore to improve to 5-2 since the All-Star break. It's a rare run of success for the Rockies, who improved to 27-76 on the season but still need 15 wins to avoid matching the modern record of 121 losses by last year's Chicago White Sox. Colorado rallied from a 4-0 deficit after Jordan Westburg, Tyler O'Neill, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson hit solo homers for Baltimore in the first two innings. Mickey Moniak hit a solo shot in the third for the Rockies and Thairo Estrada added a two-run homer in the fourth. Colorado took the lead in the fifth when Hunter Goodman hit an RBI double and then scored on Jordan Beck's single. Jackson Holliday tied it for the Orioles with an RBI single in the seventh off Rockies reliever Jake Bird (4-1). PHILLIES 12, YANKEES 5 NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a pair of two-run homers and J.T. Realmuto followed the Yankees' ninth error in four games with a tiebreaking, three-run drive in a four-run seventh inning, lifting Philadelphia over New York. Schwarber's tying drive in the fifth off Will Warren was his 1,000th hit and 319th homer, the most for a player reaching 1,000 — eight more than Mark McGwire. Trea Turner had his fourth four-hit game this year, including a triple, and walked for the Phillies, who scored 10 runs in the last three innings. Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe hit solo homers for the Yankees, who wasted 2-0 and 3-2 leads in dropping a season-high 5 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Toronto. New York led by seven games in late May but has gone 21-27 since. The Yankees have made 14 errors in July while allowing 32 homers. After Realmuto's homer built a 6-3 lead in a four-run seventh and the Yankees closed within a run in the bottom half. Schwarber connected off Ian Hamilton in the eighth for his 36th homer and 33rd multi-homer game. Schwarber has six homers in seven games since winning the All-Star Game swing-off. DODGERS 5, RED SOX 2 BOSTON (AP) — Shohei Ohtani did not homer -- for the first time in a week – but Teoscar Hernandez did on Friday night as Los Angeles beat Boston. Ohtani, who had tied the franchise record by homering in five consecutive games, struck out twice, singled, walked and popped up foul to the catcher. Hernandez had two hits for the Dodgers, including a two-run homer that made it 5-2 in the eighth. Emmet Sheehan (2-1) held Boston to three hits, striking out five in five innings. Ben Casparius pitched the ninth for his first career save. Brayan Bello (6-5) gave up three runs and six hits with two walks, striking out five in 5 1/3 innings for Boston. BLUE JAYS 6, TIGERS 2 DETROIT (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled twice and scored a pair of runs as Toronto defeated slumping Detroit. The American League-leading Blue Jays are 7-1 since the All-Star break, while the Tigers have lost five straight and 11 of 12. José Berríos (7-4) picked up the win, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings. Keider Montero (4-3) took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits in four-plus innings. CARDINALS 3, PADRES 0 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Masyn Winn drove in two runs, Willson Contreras had two hits and scored twice and St. Louis beat San Diego. Miles Mikolas (6-7) pitched into the sixth inning, allowing seven hits but no runs to pick up just his second win since May 23. Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his 21st save. Padres starter Nick Pivetta (10-3) sustained his first loss since May 11. The 32-year-old, who in his first year in San Diego and having a career year, gave up three runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. The Padres had 11 hits and stranded nine in their fourth consecutive loss.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store