Will Ja Morant Be Traded? NBA Insiders Dish On Rockets Amid Landing Spot Rumors
Ja Morant's future with the Memphis Grizzlies has been a focal point around the NBA this season, but the Houston Rockets reportedly aren't a realistic landing spot.
The Athletic cited league sources Wednesday and reported Houston is "not interested" in Morant even though Fred VanVleet is done for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign because of a torn ACL. The report highlighted how much the Rockets value the young core in place and how they have "frequently resisted the temptation to reach for overpriced roster shortcuts."
Last month, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that some NBA executives "pinpointed Houston as a potential trade suitor for the 26-year-old" after VanVleet's injury but also believed the Western Conference team would want to be patient in evaluating the situation.
Morant has done nothing since then to increase his trade value.
He was suspended last month for conduct detrimental to the team after comments he made about the coaching staff. He also said he had lost some of his joy playing for Memphis.
The guard hasn't even been in the lineup since Nov. 15 because of a calf injury, and ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks noted earlier this month that Morant has played in fewer than 40 percent of the team's games since his two All-Star nods due to three suspensions and injury concerns.
"The combination of pain in the ass, injury prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one," an Eastern Conference executive said when evaluating his overall trade value.
While the Rockets could use more backcourt playmakers with VanVleet sidelined, it seems like they are among the teams that don't believe Morant is worth it in a trade.
