The relationship between Ja Morant and the Grizzlies took an unexpected and sudden turn for the worse over the weekend.
On Friday, Morant played a very poor game against the Lakers in Memphis, scoring eight points while shooting 3-for-14 from the floor. Worse than his poor shooting was the lackadaisical attitude Morant had while on the court. Even the untrained eye noticed the star point guard was very passive in his 31 minutes. When he had the ball, Morant wasn’t very interested in attacking the basket and almost looked bored when he didn’t have the ball. As a result the Grizzlies were outscored by four points with Morant on the floor in a game they lost by five.
It was a genuinely puzzling sight, and the situation escalated postgame when Morant refused to answer questions from the media and insisted they go ask the coaching staff instead. When pressed on how he thinks the Grizzlies might have won on Friday night, Morant said,”According to them, probably don’t play me honestly. That’s basically what the message was after so, it’s cool.”
One day later Morant was suspended for one game by the organization for conduct detrimental to the team. ESPN’s Shams Charania further shared that Morant had a postgame exchange with first-year coach Tuomas Iisalo in which Iisalo called out the point guard’s leadership and effort in front of the roster; Morant’s response was deemed “inappropriate and dismissive,” leading to the suspension. Charania’s report included a note that Morant’s issues with Iisalo are surrounding his rotation patterns and plays, fundamental tenets of coaching that seem unlikely to change just because Morant is unhappy.
It’s safe to say all is not well in Memphis, and it may lead to a trade. There are few situations more problematic for a team trying to win than rostering an unhappy star. If Morant continues to clash with Iisalo it seems quite possible the Grizzlies will seek to move the point guard. Other teams around the league certainly believe it’s a possibility, anyway, as Charania further reported opposing front offices are “monitoring” the situation in case Morant does become available.
Should that happen, it won’t be like any other recent blockbuster involving a big star. Morant was once considered the brightest up-and-coming star in the NBA but a combination of injuries and off-the-court problems have resulted in several choppy, uneven seasons that make his future murky. Morant’s per-game averages have steadily decreased over the last three years and he hasn’t exhibited much improvement, if any, as a shooter or defender.
If he does get traded, which version of Morant will his new team get? A high-energy point guard whose slashing ability is second to none with great vision who could be an offense unto himself with slightly better shooting? Or an inefficient, disgruntled personality who isn’t working to round out his game and only makes an impact when he feels like it?
That question is why the rumor mill suggests there wouldn’t be a “robust” market for Morant should he end up on the open market, as NBA reporters Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontempts said on the most recent podcast. But the possibility of a change in scenery bringing out the best in Morant will be mighty tempting regardless. He’s still only 26 years old with two more years remaining on his $197 million max deal and is averaging 20.8 points with 6.7 assists so far this year.
If the Grizzlies do decide to trade Morant, here are four potential destinations that would make the most sense for the former All-Star. Before we get started it’s important to note that Memphis has about $23 million in cap space before hitting the first apron but are hard-capped at that point. So any theoretical Morant trade could not result the team’s collective salary going above the first apron limit of $195 million.
Miami Heat
The Heat are the top, and in many ways the only, logical place for Morant to end up. Miami no longer has a franchise cornerstone to pair with Bam Adebayo after Jimmy Butler forced his way out last season. The Heat have plenty of assets in terms of tradeable contracts and a few first-round picks to offer. All that combined with Pat Riley’s penchant for pursuing the biggest names on the market would lead to the Heat being a top contender for Morant.
This is one of the few available trade opportunities where both sides might wind up happy. In the likely scenario the Grizzlies don’t want to tank with Iisalo in his first season and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the roster the Heat can offer up actually useful NBA players who can help Memphis win. Miami’s current talent level and the wizardry of coach Erik Spoelstra means the team will compete for a playoff spot, especially in a weak East, but nobody believes them to be true contenders. A motivated Morant could anchor the offense while Adebayo does the same defensively, giving the Heat a floor balance they haven’t enjoyed in a long time.
The No. 1 issue for any possible scenario involving Morant to South Beach? The Heat have gotten off to a hot start this year running an offense designed in part by consultant Noah LaRoche. LaRoche was in Memphis last season when Taylor Jenkins got fired in part because Morant wasn’t a fan of LaRoche’s offensive system, which features very few pick-and-roll actions. But if both sides decided to plow ahead anyway (not an unlikely outcome considering the Heat’s expectation that every player on the roster fall in line), a deal could be made.
In that scenario, a likely offer that works financially would look like: Tyler Herro, Simone Fontecchio, and a future first-round pick for Morant.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets will be included in think pieces like this for the foreseeable future. Why? Because they are one of the few NBA teams with enough cap space to absorb basically any contract. It’s true that Brooklyn is not anywhere near competing for a title or even trying very hard to win this year. But in this basketball world with first and second aprons, the franchise’s financial flexibility is both very rare and very valuable.
Besides, Morant could be a great buy-low opportunity for a team still searching for a star to build around. Brooklyn has been somewhat adrift since trading Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. Consistent tanking efforts haven’t yielded returns yet, although coach Jodi Fernandez seems like a keeper. If the organization was willing to take a risk with Morant he could become the center of the franchise’s universe, allowing them to begin building a contending roster around a box office-caliber player.
In return they could offer the Grizzlies any number of interesting young prospects, especially given the Nets drafted five rookies in the first round of last year’s draft. Or a pairing of two microwave scorers in Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. Or a great defensive center to pair with JJJ in Nic Claxton. There are all sorts of trade packages the Nets could offer that helps the Grizzlies achieve a variety of possible goals.
Such flexibility does make it tricky to project a potential trade package, but we’ll give it the old college try for this exercise: Michael Porter Jr., Egor Demin, and Danny Wolf for Morant.
Sacramento Kings
On paper it makes no sense for the Kings to pursue Morant. The counterpoint to that? It made no sense for Sacramento to pursue Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan after their partnership in Chicago flamed out. Yet those trades were executed anyway. So the Kings cannot be counted out, especially since they have numerous draft picks to trade, including an appealing unprotected 2031 first-rounder from the Timberwolves.
What makes a potential trade more likely is that the Kings probably have the most talent to offer in a vacuum. LaVine and DeRozan are both one-way players on big salaries but are quite skilled at scoring points; their weaknesses defensively would be mitigated by the looming presence of Jackson Jr. on the back line. Should the Grizzlies be set on a return that helps them right now then Sacramento can put together an intriguing package. Paired with some tasty future draft picks and it’s not as unrealistic a scenario as it might seem on the surface. Would it really move the needle for either side? Not really. But the Grizzles aren’t likely to have a bidding war on their hands, and the Kings should be pursuing more youthful talent to flank Domantas Sabonis.
Helpfully, the Kings have plenty of contracts to make the money work, which is important given they are in a similar cap situation as the Grizzlies. One possible trade iteration would be DeRozan, Dario Saric, and two future first-rounders for Morant. Another could be LaVine and a future pick for Morant. There’s also blockbuster potential here if Sacramento was willing to include Sabonis, which opens up many avenues for Memphis to reshape its roster post-Morant.