Winner: The Grizzlies' Optionality

Losing Desmond Bane's offensive punch no doubt stings, but the Grizzlies are extracting excellent value out of someone who may never make an All-Star game.

While Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's contract ($43.2 million) doesn't look so hot these days, he somewhat quietly defended at an All-League level last season. Adding him to the rotation lightens the workload placed upon Jaylen Wells and Scottie Pippen Jr., among others, while just generally upping Memphis' terror level at the less glamorous end—no small potatoes knowing Zach Edey will miss the start of 2025-26 with an ankle injury.

Wiping Bane's salary from the ledger (four years, $163.2 million) also makes it more likely they aren't priced out of the Jaren Jackson Jr. business. As we already covered, a renegotiate-and-extend seems dead, but he may have turned it down anyway, and Memphis was never going to bankroll max and near-max price points for Bane, Jackson and Ja Morant in 2026 and beyond.

Most critically of all, the Grizzlies are stockpiling a bunch of interesting draft assets. That 2026 first will be the second most favorable from Phoenix, Orlando and Washington, and there's no telling where the Magic will be when the 2028, 2029 (top-two-protected swap) and 2030 obligations come due.

What Memphis does from here is anyone's guess—mostly in a good way. This could be the future-focused haul the Grizzlies need to lean into a reset. It could be the return that allows them to replenish their long-term rotation on the cheap through drafting and development.

Hell, this could even be a pick-packed ransom they use to go out and swing another big trade. Kevin Durant, anyone? Or what about Jaylen Brown?

To be sure, Memphis' end of the deal isn't without risk. The team is punting on bankable production and a battle-tested fit for flexibility. We need to see what becomes of this optionality before declaring it the correct move. But this core didn't appear on the verge of breaking through. Figuring out a way to increase the mystery-box factor is, for now, a good thing.