For much of the early part of the season, it seemed as if Ja Morant’s tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies was tenuous. The seventh-year point guard is averaging his fewest points per game since his rookie season, his otherworldly athleticism looks a little more mundane, and his jumper has completely abandoned him. Injuries have also continued to plague his career: through a combination of injury and suspension, he hasn’t played in more than 65 games since his rookie season in 2019-20. To make matters worse, the Grizzlies are just 6-12 with him on the floor, and they have been 8.1 points per 100 possessions better with him riding the pine.
Early Friday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that the writing is indeed on the wall for Morant, as Memphis is reportedly open to moving him ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. While the Grizzlies have been previously resistant, the emergence of young players like Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and Zach Edey has made Morant more expendable.
Reportedly, Morant has attracted interest from multiple suitors, and Memphis is seeking young players and draft capital in return. But only one team, if any, will land the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year and 2021-22 Most Improved Player. Below, I’ll break down three teams who might be interested in Morant’s services.
Top Ja Morant trade destinations
The Morant sweepstakes could present an opportunity to buy low on an ultra-talented player. While his value has never been lower, he’s still a player who, in 2021-22, averaged 27.4 points per game and led the Grizzlies to the second seed before they eventually fell in the second round. In that series against the Golden State Warriors, Morant was averaging 38.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game before getting injured. While he wasn’t quite as efficient the following season, he still averaged 26.2 points and 8.1 assists per game, and Memphis once again finished second in the West before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s not easy to do at any level, much less in the NBA.
The numbers are undeniably ugly this season — he’d rank 14th-to-last in box plus/minus if he’d played enough minutes to qualify — but his 40-point game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 30 demonstrates that the flashes are still there, even if few and far between. He’s still capable of putting pressure on the rim, averaging the eighth-most drives per game even if he hasn’t been particularly efficient on them, and he’s still thrown down a few ferocious dunks, including one that received the 231st-highest dunk score among the 4,815 dunks so far this season. His 90.0% free-throw percentage also suggests that his raw shooting talent outweighs his horrific efficiency. He’s still just 26 years old.
The market could be relatively thin: the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young, a player with twice as many All-Star appearances whose offense is significantly better than Morant’s and who has fewer off-the-court concerns and a less lengthy injury history, was dealt to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, neither of whom constitutes the sort of young asset that Memphis is coveting. But if a team does meet the Grizzlies’ asking price, here are three who might make some sense:
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento is in a disastrous position. Early in the season, the Kings lost their franchise star, Domantas Sabonis, to a torn meniscus, and they’re just 8-29, the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Sacramento’s core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Sabonis doesn’t appear likely to lead to wins any time soon, and because Dennis Schröder hasn’t played up to the level that he demonstrated in winning FIBA EuroBasket MVP over the summer, the Kings rank seventh-to-last in assists per game and 10th-to-last in shots within eight feet. If theory, Morant and Russell Westbrook would be a force to be reckoned with on drives, and Morant could provide a slight upgrade over Westbrook as a primary playmaker in terms of ball security.
There’s a reason Sacramento is the betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to land him if he gets dealt, but it lacks the promising young assets that Memphis desires, unless it wishes to part ways with either the defense-oriented Keon Ellis or power forward Keegan Murray, who’s suffering through a bad season himself and would be a clunky fit next to Jaren Jackson Jr. with the Grizzlies. The Kings also own their own draft pick, which is projected to fall in the top three in a stacked class featuring three top-level prospects in AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, and Darryn Peterson.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have been one of the league’s positive surprises this season, as they currently sit fourth in the East after entering the season with just a 35.5-win projected total. Arguably, though, the weak link of Toronto’s starting lineup is point guard Immanuel Quickley, who’s posted just 43-35-81 shooting splits despite being paid $32.5 million per year, and it’s possible that the Raptors could look to move off of Quickley’s contract. Based purely on their production this season, Morant wouldn’t be an upgrade over Quickley, but his ceiling is higher. It might be a better basketball fit for Morant; his efficiency might improve and his turnovers might go down in a Toronto system centered around Scottie Barnes, and Morant’s raw playmaking talent could work in Darko Rajaković’s passing-heavy offense. For Memphis, Quickley would be a lateral move in terms of talent, but he has fewer injury concerns, and he’s the same age as Morant. The Raptors also own all of their own picks for the next five years and project to be fairly competitive. At +1000, it’s worth considering.
Portland Trail Blazers
In Portland’s case, a Morant deal would likely be a short-term rental for the Trail Blazers to rehabilitate his value for the rest of the season before seeking to move on from him next summer. With Damian Lillard out for the season with the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the 2025 playoffs, Scoot Henderson yet to make his season debut while dealing with a torn hamstring, and Jrue Holiday out for the past two months with a calf strain, Portland has desperately lacked playmaking outside of Deni Avdija, and it ranks fourth-to-last in assists per game. A Morant-Avdija duo would be among the most devastating driving duos in basketball. Plus, the Trail Blazers have generated the second-most wide-open threes, which Morant could use to rehabilitate his jumper. Portland could hang on to him after the summer if it feels pessimistic about Lillard’s recovery or Holiday’s age.
The Trail Blazers won’t part ways with any of Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, or Donovan Clingan, but Rayan Rupert, Blake Wesley, and Yang Hansen are young players with varying levels of upside, with Yang particularly suited for a backup role behind the oft-injured Edey. Dealing for Morant would also be an opportunity for Portland to get off of Jerami Grant’s contract, and Grant could help be a mentor for Wells as a three-and-D wing. Plus, the Trail Blazers owe a lottery-protected draft pick to the Chicago Bulls this season and have signaled their willingness to build towards contention, so they have less incentive to tank. Morant wouldn’t a great basketball fit beyond this season if Lillard recaptures any of his previous abilities, but it could allow Portland to sneak into the playoffs this season and provide the Avdija-Sharpe-Toumani Camara-Clingan core with valuable playoff experience.
