Kendrick Perkins Delivers Blunt Take On Grizzlies’ Future Without Kevin Durant Or Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Memphis Grizzlies endured an up-and-down 2024–25 campaign, finishing 48–34 but parting ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games still remaining after falling from the second seed all the way to the play-in tournament. An opening round lopsided, four-game sweep against the Oklahoma City Thunder—losing by 51 points in the first game—exposed the lack of depth and leadership in Memphis.
The Grizzlies continued to shake things up at the start of the offseason, pulling the trigger on a massive trade, sending sharpshooter Desmond Bane, 26, to the Orlando Magic in exchange for veteran shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks (2025 No. 16 overall, 2026 via Phoenix Suns, 2028 and 2030) and a 2029 first-round pick swap.
Shortly after, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins offered a crystal clear assessment of Memphis’s path forward.
“If I’m the Memphis Grizzlies, I blow it up. I trade Jaren Jackson Jr. and I trade Ja Morant especially if you can’t go out there and get Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Perkins said.
Durant and Antetokounmpo have both surfaced in trade rumors this offseason. Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, 36, has multiple suitors, but prefers to land on the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat or Houston Rockets, per Shams Charania. The two-time NBA champion averaged 26.6 points on 52.7/43.0/83.9 shooting splits in 62 games this past season.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, 30, has fueled speculation about his future after another early playoff exit, though he remains under contract through 2025–26 and has not requested a trade.
“Ja is a special talent, generational talent. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a borderline all-star. But those two guys are not going to win you a championship by themselves,” Perkins added.
Ja Morant finished the 2024–25 regular season with averages of 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 50 games while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from three. Jaren Jackson Jr., 25, anchored the paint with 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 48.8 percent shooting, earning his third All-Defensive Team nod. Both players are extension-eligible this summer and carry cap-hit figures—roughly $23 million for Jackson Jr. and $39 million for Morant—into 2025–26.
Related: Jaren Jackson Jr. Left Speechless After Grizzlies Trade Desmond Bane
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.