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If the Memphis Grizzlies are going to trade Ja Morant this season, we know it’ll happen by the February 5 deadline. Apparently, though, it’s going to happen much sooner than that.
Writing on the entire Morant situation, The Athletic’s John Hollinger closed with this final dispatch: “The Grizzlies still have four weeks to find Morant a landing spot, but based on the history of similar situations, I’d be surprised if it took half that long.”
This isn’t what you’d call definitive. But it’s pretty darn close. And if it ultimately proves accurate, it means a Ja Morant trade could just be days away.
We (probably) know when the Grizzlies won’t trade Ja Morant
It feels safe to say Memphis won’t act on any Morant deal prior to January 19. The team is currently in Berlin for a pair of games against the Orlando Magic, on January 15 and January 18. Even if Morant has in fact already played his last game for the franchise, it would be weird if the front office struck a trade while he and the rest of the squad are overseas.
Then again, it’s a little awkward that Ja is traveling with the team at all.
Based on the initial reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, this inevitable breakup isn’t entirely Grizzlies-driven so much as it’s a mutual (albeit messy) parting of the ways. Under the circumstances, if he’s not going to play, you might expect Morant to even be away from the team.
On the flip side, that kind of separation lends itself to awful optics. Memphis is already struggling to find leverage in Morant negotiations. It won’t have a single leg on which to stand if its desire to move him is so strong that it doesn’t want him around the rest of the team.
Don’t be surprised if a Ja Morant deal goes down long before the trade deadline
Oddly enough, it is the Grizzlies’ lack of leverage that could accelerate this process.
If they have an offer they deem acceptable, or the best-possible package, they can’t afford to sit on it. Between Morant’s lack of availability, career-worst play, and suddenly undesirable contract (two years and $87.1 million left after this one), they don’t necessarily have the luxury of striking when it’s convenient.
Framed that way, maybe it wouldn’t be a surprise if they flip their franchise cornerstone while journeying abroad. The reporting around his future continues to read like a culmination rather than a revelation, which suggests the Grizzlies are making public what they’ve known for a while in an attempt to potentially improve upon offers already in place.
Once you reach that stage of the star-trade process, it typically isn’t long before a deal follows suit. Just look at what recently happened with Trae Young. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported the Washington Wizards’ interest in the four-time All-Star on January 5. Young was traded to the nation’s capital on January 7—not even three full days later.
Morant’s news cycle has already breezed past that mark. So maybe the Grizzlies are, in fact, more inclined to take their time. Chances are, however, they want this done ASAP, so they can figure out the overall direction of their franchise.
And by that logic, it would be a genuine shocker if Morant is still on the roster a week from now—let alone three or more.