Ja Morant emerged as a surprising subject of discussion around the league after an insider dropped an intriguing revelation.
In an episode of the Real Ones podcast, Howard Beck of The Ringer mentioned that an anonymous executive identified the Memphis Grizzlies star as a name to “keep an eye on” who could be traded this upcoming summer.
Per Beck, a Ja Morant trade is probable should the Grizzlies eventually underachieve this season as the franchise currently sits as the No. 2 team in the West with 36 wins.
“I’m constantly checking in with executives around trade deadline about like, okay, what we saw, what we didn’t see, what’s next. And in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who’s the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right?
“And somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer,” Beck explained.
Amid the unexpected buzz created that now circles around their star, the Grizzlies immediately turned down the notion that they will soon entertain a break-up with Morant.
In a statement provided by Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman dismissed the speculations and possibility of a Morant trade in the future for Memphis.
“I can’t blame other ‘executives’ for fantasizing about us trading Ja,” Kleiman said. “But it’s just that — fantasy.
“We are not trading Ja. Continue to underestimate Ja, this team and this city, and we will let our performance on the floor speak for itself.
“I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen and look forward to getting back to basketball.”
Even if the impact of the Luka Doncic mega trade can’t be denied about the likelihood of stars getting moved, it is truly surprising how Morant suddenly appeared as the next potential trade candidate in the Association.
After being at the center of league criticism in 2022-23 and being inactive for most of last 2023-24 due to injuries, Morant managed to redeem himself this 2024-25.
Although his process of being healthy remains in progress, he is still productively averaging 20.7 points with 7.4 assists, 4.3 boards, and 1.3 steals across 32 games in 28.8 minutes.
If healthy and all geared up to play, Morant instantly hammers his case as one of the best basketball players in the world, soaring up high with highlight-reel finishes and jaw-dropping plays on a nightly basis.
Along with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, Morant has been cemented by the Grizzlies as a main cornerstone of this era. And should they deal the All-Star guard, it would be a total mistake that replicates the Minnesota Timberwolves’ case for Karl-Anthony Towns according to Chandler Parsons.
“This guys an All-NBA type player who was Rookie of the Year to then Most Improved Player.
“Sure I’d probably see what I could get for him and see what kind of package you could put, but this is a small market team, they struck gold with him in the draft which is what you have to do if you’re Memphis unless you want to go and overpay somebody or bring someone in free agency wise,” the former NBA vet said.
“Ja Morant no matter all his issues off court, I feel like that’s a distant memory and he’s focused on basketball. He’s the heart and soul of this team, he’s been great for them. Don’t fix what’s not broken. It reminds me of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade… why?”
With Kleiman addressing all of the murmurs and speculation, Morant can now at least take a sigh of relief and continue planning on Memphis being his home.
