The Memphis Grizzlies were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs after blowing a 27-point lead in Game 3 and losing by two at home without Ja Morant in Game 4.
Following the loss, the Grizzlies hosted their exit interviews, and all eyes were on GM Zach Kleiman. After firing head coach Taylor Jenkins just nine games before the postseason, the accountability for next season falls squarely on his shoulders.
Grizzlies GM Shares Roster Thoughts After Sweep
For a few seasons, the sentiment in Memphis has been that the Grizzlies were a healthy season with one more piece away from being true contenders. At the end of the 2024-25 season, Kleiman is expressing something else: “I don’t think we can look back at this series and this season and say, ‘Oh, we’re close.’ No, we’re not. We’re not close. There’s a lot of work to be done. I need to be open-minded in multiple respects.”
There was no veteran presence come playoff time after Kleiman traded Marcus Smart, essentially to create cap space to extend Jaren Jackson Jr. this summer.
When asked if he believed the core of Morant, Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane is capable of competing for a championship, Kleiman did not directly answer the question. Outside of saying multiple times that “there’s a lot of good,” he also mentioned that this team and the Memphis fan base want gritty players — they need dogs.
Blowing up the core that he built falls into the category of being open-minded in multiple respects. He doubled down on not trading Ja Morant, so the choice is between moving on from former Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Jr. or Bane.
Bane offers a skill that can be replaced with his shooting ability. Sure, the fan base loves him. But it is becoming apparent, through two different coaches, that the three of them struggle to thrive at the same time. In the high pick-and-roll offensive scheme, Morant and Bane put up gaudy numbers. The spaced-out offense that partly led to Jenkins’ firing was great for Jackson Jr.
It is evident that the Grizzlies’ roster must look different next season, and that should include moving on from either Jackson Jr. or Bane.
Luke Kennard, Marvin Bagley, and Santi Aldama (restricted) are all free agents this offseason. While that is money coming off the books, there is no space to sign anyone of significance.
Names like Bruce Brown and Nickeil Alexander-Walker would be nice additions through free agency on a midlevel exception, but Alexander-Walker will likely demand more. If Memphis wants to really reshape their franchise, they will have to be involved in a blockbuster trade, bringing in some veteran presence.
The Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to retool and reload around Giannis while his window is still open. The Detroit Pistons are a team on the rise that could use a roster tweak or two. Maybe Darko Rajaković, former Grizzles assistant coach and current Raptors head coach, would love a reunion with a player he helped develop. All three teams are potentially ideal trade partners for a team that desperately needs a trade.
This iteration of the Memphis Grizzlies might have played their last game together, and much like the Core Four before them, it feels as if they were almost there.
