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Trade Idea To Save Ja Morant During 2026 NBA Offseason
The All-Star version of Ja Morant is generally regarded as a relic from the NBA's past.
The Memphis Grizzlies tried to unload him at this year's trade deadline, but they foud no takers. The Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat shot him a passing glance, and that was it as far as any response from the trade market.
The basketball world has seemingly abandoned any hope of revival here. But for the right (read: desperate) suitor, maybe there's a win to spin his totally tanked value into a positive. It's just incredibly rare to find someone at his age (26) with his ability and these accoldades (two All-Star nods, a Rookie of the Year award and a Most Improved Palyer award) lurking anywhere near basketball's bargain bin.
Let alone buried at the bottom of it with one clearance tag after another lowering the asking price.
Maybe this is wishful thinking—an all-systems-go version of Morant is among the Association's most electric stars—but it feels like he shouldn't be discarded and forgotten. A change of scenery is obviously needed, though, so let's make that happen by sniffing out a potential suitor that needs an impact addition but also requires a clearance-slashed discount to afford one.
Full Trade Scenario
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Phoenix Suns receive: Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies receive: Jalen Green, Khaman Maluach and a 2027 first-round pick (via CLE, MIN or UTA)
Why the Phoenix Suns Do It
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Like Morant, the Suns found themselves discarded by the masses as expectations tanked following the offseason subtractions of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Phoenix has since cleared that lowered bar with impressive ease, locking in a winning record and all but ensuring its place in the Play-In Tournament.
That is, to be clear, an accomplishment. But few teams are victory-lapping after a couple of Play-In losses or being on the wrong end of a first-round knockout. And one following the lead of a 29-year-old centerpiece (Devin Booker) clearly isn't one of them.
That's the thing with this Suns' season. The fight has been fun to be see, and the vibes appear in good shape, but the end game is either hard to gauge or quietly depressing. Slow-and-steady culture-setting just doesn't align with Booker's window to win, but Phoenix's picked-apart asset collection limits the options for acceleration.
Hence why the Suns seem like a legitimate possibility for Morant. They just won't otherwise have access to a player of his caliber. And they desperately need an injection of talent if they want any hope of winning big while Booker is still in his prime.
Some will scoff at the notion that Morant might be anything close to his previous form, and his stat line says skepticism is warranted. That said, he quietly looked pretty awesome before a UCL sprain in his left elbow dropped curtains on his campaign. Over his final eight outings, he averaged 21.8 points on 48.8/40/83.3 shooting with 8.8 assists against 3.3 turnovers.
And, remember, this was a possible corner-turning by someone who wasn't playing regularly and seemed less than thrilled with his situation. That all speaks to his top-shelf talent level, which Phoenix clearly needs more of around Booker.
Worried about those giveaways? Well, remember Morant wasn't operating alonside another creator and scorer of Booker's ilk. Scared about the spacing? Well, maybe Booker could revive his sagging shooting rates (33 percent from three over the past two seasons) if defenses couldn't sell out on stopping him. On that note, he is splashing 38.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes this season.
If the Suns managed to maximize the offensive impact of this pairing, it could pair a powerful 1-2 punch with what's become a top-10 defense. To acquire that kind of upside when dealing with Phoenix's limited trade budget seems too tempting to pass up, especially when considering the ticking clock attached to Booker.
Why the Memphis Grizzlies Do It
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While guarantees are hard to find in this perpetually unpredictable league, the Grizzlies have to trade Morant this summer, right? As Memphis fully embarks down a rebuilding road, it just doesn't need this cloud hanging above its head.
The process of trading Morant will be painful, though. That's not because it means totally cutting the cord on any hopes the franchise once felt when he was rapidly rising through the NBA ranks. (The guy was a top-10 MVP finisher in his third season.) Given the prolonged nature of this split, both the organization and its fans should have reached the acceptance portion of that grieving process.
Rather, the pain revolves around what the Grizzlies can realistically expect to get in return. Because it won't be much. It's possible Memphis could bring back salary relief and nothing more.
If the Grizzlies want a little more than that—they'll need to sell the fanbase on something—then stomaching the $72.3 million Green will likely collect over the next two seasons could make that happen. It might theoretically hurt the team's flexibility, but Memphis is neither a free-agency destination nor close enough to competing to justify overpaying relevant players to go there.
And maybe the Grizzlies could view their reshuffled roster as the best bet to maximize Green's potential (or at least his production). He could sit atop the offensive pecking order, and honestly, his explosive athleticism and streaky shooting could lead to some huge, highlight-filled nights with that kind of role.
You couldn't Sharpie him into building-block status on Beale Street, but you also couldn't totally rule out the possibility. It'd certainly be more fun than all of this eggshell-walking with Morant has been.
And it's not the extent of Memphis' return package. The Grizzlies would also get Maluach, last summer's 10th overall pick, and a future first-round pick. Now, maybe Maluach isn't a lottery pick in a redraft, and that future first is the least favorable of those three picks—coincidentally, Memphis is already getting the most favorable of the lot from the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade—but those are still potential long-term assets.
Is Maluach redundant on a roster with Zach Edey? Maybe, but it's way too early in the rebuilding process for Memphis to worry about fit. Could that future first fail to deliver anything of note? Absolutely, but young teams still need all the dart throws they can get, because you never know which one might hit a bull's-eye.
It's not an overwhelming return, obviously, but it's still decent value in exchange for a player everyone assumes has little to none anymore.
