The Memphis Grizzlies have made their intentions clear over the past year: they want a fresh start.
Last summer, the franchise dealt Desmond Bane away and followed that by shipping Jaren Jackson Jr. out the door in February. Then, with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Memphis selected Cameron Boozer, adding another cornerstone to their emerging rebuild.
That reset has now reached Ja Morant.
Memphis Grizzlies Expected to Trade Ja Morant Despite Lack of Ideal Trade Partner
NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported that the Grizzlies are actively looking to trade the point guard.
“It’s not really a question for the Grizzlies; they going to really try to trade him,” Windhorst reported Wednesday on ESPN.
“I think we’ve probably have seen the last moments of Ja Morant in a Grizzlies uniform. It just depends on of how it’s going to play itself out. They are looking to totally reset their franchise, and Boozer’s selection at No. 3 is a part of that,” Windhorst said.
“I think we’ve probably have seen the last moments of Ja Morant in a Grizzlies uniform.”
—@WindhorstESPN on Ja Morant following the Grizzlies’ NBA draft moves 🏀 pic.twitter.com/VRRlp3lRgQ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 25, 2026
“They’ve had difficulty finding a trading partner for Ja Morant. There’s not that many teams that need franchise point guards, quite frankly. A lot of them just drafted them last night that they want to develop.”
Memphis does carry one meaningful piece of leverage, however.
“The one thing they have on their side that they could use in a Ja Morant trade would be a $29 million trade exception, one of the largest trade exceptions in the history of the NBA,” Windhorst added.
Even then, no clear trade destination for the two-time All-Star appears to have surfaced.
Insider Jon Krawczynski reported Monday that the Minnesota Timberwolves were not targeting Morant.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer then reported Tuesday that the New Orleans Pelicans had “no plans” to pursue him.
Injuries have taken a real toll on Morant over the past three years. He appeared in just 79 of a possible 246 regular-season games during that stretch.
In 20 outings during the 2025-26 season, he averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game.
The efficiency numbers, though, tell a harder story.
Morant posted a career-low 41.0% from the field and shot just 23.5% from 3-point range.
With his trade value at a low point, former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins recently made a pointed assessment. He stated that the Grizzlies would need to attach draft picks to any Morant deal.
“Teams were asking Memphis to attach picks in order to take Ja Morant, not the other way around,” Perkins said. “They were asking Memphis, ‘Hey man, attach picks with Ja and we’ll take him.'”
His contract situation also complicates things for Memphis.
Morant is locked into a five-year, $197,230,450 designated rookie maximum extension running through the 2027-28 season. He is set to earn $42.2 million in the 2026-27 season before pulling in $44.9 million the following year.
With two more years and a hefty salary still attached, the Grizzlies will look for every available avenue to move that deal and keep their rebuild moving forward. Since his contract doesn’t include a no-trade clause, Morant holds no leverage over where he lands.
