Anthony Davis, Ja Morant Updated Landing Spots After Giannis Traded to Heat

Now that the first major domino of the NBA offseason has fallen with Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded to the Miami Heat, other teams in the market for an impact player will have to turn their focus elsewhere.

Two of the remaining prime trade candidates include Anthony Davis and Ja Morant, who find themselves in limbo with their current organizations opting to go in a rebuilding direction.

Both Davis and Morant come with significant injury question marks, but the upside is extremely high when they are on the court. The appeal of one or the other will depend on what teams are looking for.

For instance, a team like the Portland Trail Blazers would fit for Davis because they already have a deep backcourt mix.

The list of options for Morant is harder to parse because the Heat were considered a fallback plan if they were unable to land Antetokounmpo. Teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings have a need at point guard.

Morant is an offensive engine who can change games with his court vision and passing. Davis is a dominant post player who uses his size and physicality to impact both ends of the floor.

Anthony Davis Projected Landing Spots

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The Blazers might be the most aggressive suitor for Davis. NBA insider Jake Fischer said on Monday that Portland would be "waiting with open arms" for Davis if he becomes available.

It's an obvious fit because the Blazers' current roster features Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday and a returning Damian Lillard in the backcourt. Their frontcourt is led by Deni Avdija, but they also have Jerami Grant and Donovan Clingan to work with.

The contracts for Davis and Grant line up so that they could potentially be swapped for each other, with the Wizards getting some savings on their end. Davis is owed $58.5 million in 2026-27 with a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.

Grant will earn $34.2 million next season and has a $36.4 million player option for 2027-28.

Davis' future with the Washington Wizards seems like it will end without him ever appearing in a game for the club after being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in February.

The 10-time All-Star told The Athletic's Josh Robbins in April that he was going to have conversations with Wizards' management about their plan to go from one of the worst teams in the league to an immediate playoff contender in 2026-27:

"So, if something comes out of the conversation where that's the path — and, obviously, you won't know until the season starts — that's what I would like to see. What is our plan for winning going into next season? And how? Not like this is a plan, but how do we execute that? And based on that, we'll kind of see what happens."

The Wizards struck gold in the lottery by winning the No. 1 pick to play with a young core that already has Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr. They also intend to retain Trae Young on a four-year, $212 million contract.

Davis' fit with that group wouldn't be hard to imagine, but he might not want to wait around to see if they can gel right out of the gate.

Other teams, like the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, have a need for someone like Davis. But there is nothing concrete connecting them to him in a trade at this point.

Davis averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 20 starts for the Mavs last season. He has appeared in a total of 71 games over the past two seasons.

Ja Morant Projected Landing Spots

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One team not in the Morant mix is the Minnesota Timberwolves, per The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

The T-Wolves did create a $33 million trade exception on Monday night by dealing Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, but it doesn't appear they will try to use that to bring in Morant.

Any interest Sacramento might have in Morant could depend on how the first round of the draft plays out. The Kings have been heavily linked to Darius Acuff Jr. throughout the pre-draft process, but it's unclear if he will be on the board when their turn comes up at No. 7.

Even if the Kings are unable to land Acuff, there is a wealth of point guard talent in that area of the draft from Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr. and Kingston Flemings.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Acuff projected to the Kings in his final mock, so that would seem to take them out of the Morant market if things play out like that.

The Pelicans, by virtue of not having a first-round draft pick this year, would seem likely to make a splash in free agency or the trade market as they look to improve on their 26-56 record from last season.

A promising rookie season from Jeremiah Fears would suggest that New Orleans could move forward with him running the offense, but they ranked 20th in offensive rating as a team.

Morant might be an intriguing wild card for a team like the Pelicans because it likely wouldn't cost a lot to add him from the Grizzlies given he is owed $87 million over the next two seasons.

The downside for Morant is that he has only played a total of 79 games over the past three seasons, but the Pelicans need as many high-upside bets as they can get right now.

Morant has averaged at least 19.0 points and 7.0 assists per game in each of the past four seasons. Jrue Holiday is the last Pelicans point guard to average at least 19.0 points and 6.0 assists per game, doing so in the 2019-20 season.