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Following the Atlanta Hawks’ decision to trade Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, the Memphis Grizzlies have begun to entertain the idea of trading away Ja Morant, who’s currently out of action with a calf injury. Morant was deemed to be one of the fastest-rising young superstars in the association, but a combination of off-court troubles and persistent injury troubles have dimmed his star considerably.
Only 26 years of age, Morant’s value is at its lowest, as he’s in the middle of his worst season with the Grizzlies. Not only is he averaging the worst points per game mark of his career outside of his rookie campaign, he is also shooting a career-worst 40.1 percent from the field and a ghastly 20.8 percent from deep, which adds up to an unsightly true shooting percentage of 50.6.
And with injury problems sapping Morant’s once-transcendent athleticism that set him apart from his peers, any team trading for him would have to acknowledge the risk that comes with acquiring him and his huge contract that runs until the 2027-28 campaign.
One would think that there’s a chance that he’s simply sandbagging at present so that he could engineer an exit from the Grizzlies. Perhaps he could go back to being an All-NBA-level player the way he was back in 2022.
Considering today’s rough CBA landscape, there aren’t too many teams who can take a chance on Morant via trade. Here’s the few that could and should.
5. Sacramento Kings
On paper, the Kings may be the most talent-starved team out of any potential Morant suitor. They are the rare team that excels at exactly nothing. There is nothing remarkable about this squad, other than the fact that they’ve been bad in every facet of the sport and the entire roster needs an overhaul.
Acquiring Morant could give the Kings their franchise cornerstone, a man to build around for the foreseeable future. But Morant is so full of question marks that an organization as unstable as the Kings should not have someone who’s been as unreliable on and off the court as the current Grizzlies point guard to be the focal point of the organization.
The Kings tried to address their point guard situation this past offseason to try and compensate for the loss of De’Aaron Fox. Adding Morant to the mix is a desperation move that this franchise is not positioned for. And they should look to build from the ground-up and start from scratch instead of wanting to catch lighting in a bottle the way they did in 2023 with the Beam Team and failing over and over again.
4. Milwaukee Bucks
Many around the association sense some desperation from the Bucks as they try to put together a winning team around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo may have come out and said that he’s not leaving the organization, even calling himself an “employee” of the Bucks, but it behooves the Bucks to do what they can to give him another shot at winning a title.
However, Morant is no longer the caliber of player who can elevate a team from good to great. The Bucks already have limited assets to begin with, and trading all of those for Morant has a real chance of setting the team back further for years.
Moreover, guard play isn’t exactly the Bucks’ issue right now. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. have been performing just fine, and at a much cheaper contract than Morant’s current deal. The Bucks have to prioritize wing play and depth on the trade market if they do make use of their limited assets.
Prioritizing the acquisition of a co-star who can score from all three levels and score efficiently (think someone like Kawhi Leonard or Jaylen Brown) should be what the Bucks do.
3. Miami Heat
The Heat’s hot start to the season was buoyed by some unreal shot-making from beyond the arc that has since tapered off. They rank 22nd in the league in offensive rating, and the routine absences of Tyler Herro haven’t helped whatsoever. Their egalitarian offense has drawn so much praise, but that seems to be more style than substance anyway considering their overall production on the season.
If anything, the Heat front office would know that the league runs on star power and upper-echelon talent. Morant certainly has those in spades, if he’s at his best. And someone like president of basketball operations Pat Riley simply won’t allow Morant to fool around off the court the way he’s done in the past.
But the Heat are not playing a pick-and-roll offense, which dampens Morant’s ceiling of production. They could always re-incorporate that style of play into the mix, but shooting concerns will be enough to put off the Heat from engaging further in Morant trade talks.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra knows how much of a big deal it is for his players to be able to shoot threes, and Morant being unable to do so while having the lingering uncertainty of his level of play brought forth by his athletic decline will give Miami a ton of pause.
2. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors being among those in pursuit of Morant is a bit confusing. While Toronto has been rumored to be on the lookout for a potential move to upgrade at the point, is Morant actually the one worth pursuing?
They were rumored to have offered the Hawks Immanuel Quickley as well as a few picks to try and trade for Young before the Wizards swooped in. Atlanta then said no, reportedly because they do not want to take on the remaining three years (after this season) on Quickley’s contract.
But the Raptors have been good this season; they have a 23-16 record, and trading away a key piece of their starting lineup should only happen if it brings in a no-doubter upgrade.
Morant, at this point, might be a bigger gamble than the Raptors would want to take on. His fit alongside RJ Barrett in the backcourt is iffy at best; Barrett is also at his best when he’s attacking the basket, and he needs the ball in his hands to thrive. So does Brandon Ingram. Quickley may not be the best three-point shooter, but he’s still leagues ahead of Morant as a floor-spacer.
This is the kind of risky maneuver the Raptors organization wants to take, but at this point, a trade pursuit of Morant is better off reserved for the offseason.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
There may not be a team around the NBA more in need of a point guard than the Timberwolves do. Their point guard succession plan was good on paper, but it was contingent on Rob Dillingham developing rather quickly into a serviceable NBA starter.
But even that did not materialize, forcing head coach Chris Finch to rely on Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, as well as Julius Randle to a lesser extent, to take on the bulk of ballhandling and playmaking duties.
This has not prevented Minnesota from having a good season; they are currently flourishing in the West with a 25-14 record, with room for even more growth considering that they’ve blown multiple games against inferior opposition.
Nonetheless, late-game management is an issue for the Timberwolves, and having a true point guard like Morant to manage the clock and situation should help Minnesota moving forward. Morant and Edwards already get along considerably well. And Minnesota has Mike Conley around to mentor Morant and help rein in his worst habits.
The Timberwolves have a winning infrastructure, enough trade assets, as well as a huge need for a point guard that they stand out as Morant’s best potential destination.