The Philadelphia 76ers may have garnered widespread recognition for their "trust the process" approach to a full-fledged franchise rebuild back in the early 2010s, but the OKC Thunder have since proven that their method is the one to abide by for down-on-their-luck teams.
Now, based on recent activity, it seems that one particular conference rival may be on the verge of following in their footsteps.
On Sunday, ESPN's NBA Insider Shams Charania was first to break the news on a trade between the Grizzlies and Magic that sent wing Desmond Bane out to Orlando.
Though the initial reaction to the exchange was rooted in complete shock, as Bane is viewed as a budding star talent in the league who just helped Memphis win 48 games in 2024-25, with the fact that they netted a promising young guard in Cole Anthony as well as the rights to five future first-round picks, four of which being unprotected, it's hard to argue against GM Zach Kleiman's decision.
In fact, considering the haul they got for the fifth-year stud, many believe the organization should now ponder the idea of shopping their remaining cornerstones in Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to see how much more they could get for actual established stars.
Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the "whole league is now going to investigate" the Grizzlies in relation to this.
Grizzlies could look to go pick-hunting this summer a la 2019 Thunder
It wasn't too long ago that the Thunder were a team consisting of multiple All-Star talents, yet still struggled to get beyond round one of the postseason.
2019 proved to be the final straw with such a season turnout, as Sam Presti opted to put an end to the beloved Russell Westbrook-era in Loud City, shipping him and co-star Paul George out via trade following their infamous 1-4 playoff loss to the Blazers for an otherworldly return headlined by a collection of future draft capital that, to this day, is not even close to being fully utilized.
With their inbound packages received, Oklahoma City went on to build through the development of acquired young players (ex. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and the NBA Draft. As of 2025, just six years later, they now find themselves two wins away from taking home the franchise's first championship since 1979.
Now, after being bested in four games by the Thunder in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, there's a case to be made that Memphis is in need of a similar type of makeover, and the Bane trade may have been the first step in them trying to follow OKC's blueprint to starting anew.
If they could get this type of deal for a non-star 26-year-old two-guard, just imagine the potential deals they could negotiate with the inclusion of an established All-NBA point guard with out-of-this-world athleticism and a Defensive Player of the Year-winning stretch four, both of whom are younger than the recently departed Bane.