Update on Ja Morant Trade Market After LaMelo Ball-Wolves Deal Explained by NBA Insider Windhorst

It has already been a shocking start to the NBA offseason with Giannis Antetokounmpo going to the Miami Heat and LaMelo Ball going to the Minnesota Timberwolves (per ESPN's Shams Charania), and now all eyes turn to the Memphis Grizzlies as they decide on Ja Morant's future.

However, they are reportedly facing a difficult trade market for the guard.

"The sort of depressed star point guard market is tough," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Get Up. "We saw last year the Hawks struggle to be able to trade Trae Young, they finally found a deal for him. Ja Morant has not been able to be traded. LaMelo Ball because of the injuries over the previous couple of years, it would be very difficult to move a player with the size of his contract, not just because of the injury issues or whatever, so many teams have their star point guards and we just saw a whole basket of teams draft potential future star point guards. There's not a big market and big lane to move a star, a highly-paid star point guard."

Windhorst also reported on Morant during an appearance on UnsportsmanLike and called him "flagrantly available" before explaining the difficulty Memphis is facing.

"If Ja had one year on his contract, I think he would have been traded months ago," Windhorst said. "… That is a reasonable risk. He is super motivated to have a big-time year. But he's got two years on his contract. So if you trade for him and it doesn't work out, you're left with an unpalatable amount of risk.

"... The two years on the contract make it very difficult because I don't think a team is going to give value. I think a team is going to want to receive value to take on that risk. I don't know how it's going to work out, but I just can't see him playing for the Grizzlies again."

When he is on the floor and playing up to his potential, Morant is one of the better guards in the league.

His resume includes a Rookie of the Year, a Most Improved Player award, an All-NBA Second Team selection and two All-Star nods. However, availability has been a significant concern since his last All-Star selection in 2022-23.

Morant was limited to nine games in 2023-24, 50 games in 2024-25 and 20 games in 2025-26 because of a combination of suspensions and injuries. With the team's primary backcourt playmaker sidelined for so much time, the Grizzlies made the playoffs once in that three-year span and never advanced past the first round.

They were an ugly 25-57 this past season.

The front office signaled it was moving on from the previous core when it traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in February, and a Morant trade could be the next domino.

By moving Morant, the Grizzlies could clear the way for Cameron Boozer to be the surefire face of the franchise after they selected the Duke star with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft.

Cameron Boozer Highlights

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Boozer won the Wooden Award, Naismith Award and Associated Press Player of the Year award during his one season at Duke and is someone who could average 20 points and 10 rebounds for the next decade in Memphis.

Surrounding him with young playmakers and more draft capital moving forward could put the Grizzlies in position to make a leap in the Western Conference in the coming years, but adding those pieces in a Morant trade may be easier said than done given the concerns Windhorst raised in his latest report.