New Ja Morant Trade Rumors Emerge Ahead of NBA Draft Lottery and 2026 Free Agency

Having fully embraced a rebuild after trading away Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the past 12 months, the Memphis Grizzlies are still exploring their options with Ja Morant going into the offseason.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Woo, Morant could become "more appealing" as a trade target to teams later in the offseason after seeing how things play out in the draft and free agency:

"With the NBA landscape set to change quite a bit over the next year — between the talent in this class and the impending changes to the lottery format — taking a chance on Morant might become more appealing to franchises left searching for star talent after things shake out."

Morant's value at this point wouldn't seem to be very high given how much money he is still owed and the lack of availability in recent years.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in February, after the trade deadline passed, that Morant "didn't have much" of a market, with the Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat cited as showing very modest interest.

Morant is signed through the 2027-28 season, with salaries of $42.2 million and $44.9 million. He has only played in 79 games over the past three seasons combined, and he hasn't played in more than 63 games since his rookie year in 2019-20.

Another potential issue is there's not a lot of cap space in the NBA right now. The Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets are the only teams projected to be under the cap.

One thing that could help the Grizzlies' position is there aren't a lot of high-level point guards in this free-agent class. Trae Young and Fred VanVleet are at the top of the heap if they decline their player options.

Young is expected to work out a new deal with the Washington Wizards after being acquired in a December trade with the Atlanta Hawks. There's also a strong belief that VanVleet will remain with the Houston Rockets in 2026-27.

After those two, the next best free agents are Collin Sexton, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.

The draft does add a wrinkle into the mix because backcourt players like Darryn Peterson, Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings and Mikel Brown Jr. are all projected top-10 picks by B/R's Jonathan Wasserman.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Morant's situation drags deep into the offseason as these teams seeking help at point guard assess their situation after the initial wave of free agency and draft takes place.

Morant, who will turn 27 on Aug. 10, averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per game in 20 starts for the Grizzlies last season.