Ja Morant has found himself at the center of speculation amid his seemingly growing rift with the Grizzlies franchise. Amid all the trade rumors that have surfaced now, a former teammate made sure to give some words of reassurance to the superstar in Memphis.
Desmond Bane, who was traded to the Magic from the Grizzlies earlier this summer, spoke about the controversial superstar in Memphis during his recent appearance on ‘The Pivot podcast.’ He addressed the growing misconceptions among the media while talking about his relationship with Ja Morant.
“It was great. I mean, from the jump… The way that the media and everybody try to portray him is not who he is. Like, say we’re going to kick it somewhere, he’s the dude that’s going to set it up. He’s the dude who’s gonna make sure everybody’s safe getting home, and they’ve got some food. Like he’s really trying to take care of you.”
“That’s probably one of the first things that I noticed, he’s extremely loyal to his people, and once you are accepted in that circle and are looked at as that, then he’s with you forever,” explained Bane. “I was just texting with him the other day. All is well, like it’s love for sure. I love that man,” he said.
The media has portrayed him to be irresponsible and several other objectionable things due to his involvement in controversial incidents in the past. But Bane has emphasized that those incidents don’t define who Morant is.
When asked about what he would suggest Morant do to bounce back from his struggles and change the controversial image that the media has given him, Bane had a simple response.
“Go kill. Like you go step on the court, average 30 and 10, make a playoff run. What are they going to say?”
“At the end of the day, that’s what we get paid to do. We get paid to put the ball in the basket and win games. And like if he goes and does that, then they’re hating on him, but they also need him,” said Bane on the podcast.
“His shoe has to be the hottest. He’s one of the most electrifying players in the league. Like, Ja being good is good for the league. You know what I’m saying? And his impact and winning are good for the league. So like he goes out and does that, then all the other stuff is going to quiet down,” Bane concluded.
Bane and Morant were extremely close as teammates. It was visible that Morant was disappointed to see his close friend get traded in his reaction to the move in June.
Morant has missed the last 10 games due to a calf strain and is currently day-to-day on his return to action. So far in the 2025-26 season, he has averaged 17.9 points, 7.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 35.9% from the field, which is nowhere close to what he was capable of in his All-Star days.
Since early on this season, there have been rumors that Morant wants out of Memphis, and the Grizzlies are considering gauging the trade market for him. But since then, he has struggled to perform and eventually got injured.
Therefore, his performance upon his return could become a deciding factor for the Grizzlies to make the decision of whether or not to trade him. The Grizzlies face the Jazz in their next game on Friday (December 12), where Ja Morant could return to action.
It will be interesting to see if Bane’s words have any influence on Morant’s performance and if he can turn the season around for himself and the Grizzlies.
