Ja Morant Trade Reportedly Was Only Eyed by 2 Teams, New Rumors on Future Market After NBA Deadline

The Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat were the only two teams that reportedly showed interest in trading for Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant before this year's deadline, per Jake Fischer of the Stein Line Newsletter, who noted that neither franchise made serious overtures to adding the two-time All-Star.

"Memphis' Ja Morant just didn't have much a trade market no matter how seriously the Grizzlies explored their options for sending him elsewhere.

"Sources say Sacramento only ever showed modest interest. I'm told Miami, too, only inquired about Morant with the idea of acquiring him in a deal similar to Washington's asset-light acquisition of Trae Young. And the Heat, sources say, were not actively pursuing Morant in the days leading up to the deadline because Antetokounmpo had become their primary target."

The Grizzlies can look into trading Morant again this offseason, and Fischer mentioned the Milwaukee Bucks as a potential possibility.

"So the Grizzlies will have to try again this summer to find a palatable Morant deal. Maybe they'll have more options like the Bucks are projected to have when it comes to Antetokounmpo.

"One scenario that has to be filed away — for all the justified questions about fit — is the prospect of Milwaukee trading for Morant. Numerous teams came away from the deadline believing that the Bucks' interest in Morant was genuine … whether that was to install him as their eventual successor to Antetokounmpo as Face of the Franchise or because they believe they could actually make a Giannis-and-Ja pairing work."

Morant has averaged 19.5 points, 7.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 20 games during an injury-shortened 2025-26 campaign. He is currently out of the lineup with a sprained UCL in his left elbow suffered on Jan. 21.

The former Murray State star and No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft looked like he was on the pathway to superstardom after a fantastic two-year stretch in 2021-22 and 2022-23, when he averaged 26.8 points, 7.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game and led Memphis to back-to-back second-place finishes in the Western Conference's regular season standings. Morant signed a five-year, $197.2 million contract extension with Memphis in July 2022, and that deal runs through 2027-28.

Morant's 2023-24 season began with a 25-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league after he showed a firearm on social media for the second time within a year (the first occasion resulted in an eight-game suspension the previous year). He only played nine games overall after undergoing season-ending right shoulder surgery in January 2024.

Morant then missed 32 more games in 2024-25, with him notably suffering from posterior hip subluxation along and Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains.

This season, Morant missed over a month with a right calf strain.

Memphis also hasn't fared well of late after that two-year stretch where Morant starred in the league. The significantly shorthanded team went 27-55 in 2023-24 but bounced back to 48-34 in 2024-25. However, their season ended with an ugly 4-0 sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. Memphis is just 21-34 this year.

Now the Grizzlies appear committed to rebuilding and starting over. They traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic last summer and dealt Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in February.

Now Morant could possibly leave town this summer, signaling a new era for the Grizzlies and perhaps a much-needed fresh start for the 26-year-old guard, who has great talent when healthy and could certainly merit interest from a team hoping he recaptures that past magic.