Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have a few weeks to figure it out.
What exactly does “it” entail? That’s up to the two parties to decide. Ja Morant has seemed unhappy since the start of the season. After he called out his coaching staff publicly, the star guard landed a suspension.
While Morant played nice for a while as he was in and out of the lineup while dealing with setbacks, a recent viral video of a verbal altercation with a teammate certainly doesn’t paint a positive picture. Morant still seems disgruntled, and the trade rumors are growing by the day.
What Would It Take?
The trade price predictions for Morant have been all over the place. One of the latest updates from The Athletic’s Sam Amick reports that league sources have indicated that if a team wants to take on Morant, they would have to be willing to part ways with “serious draft capital.”
That’s where opposing front offices are probably hanging up the phone and moving on.
Take A Look at the Market
The Grizzlies are being unrealistic.
Trae Young, a fairly young, seasoned, All-Star-caliber player on a down year, just went for two role players without any draft capital.
The Young situation wasn’t pretty, but it was rosy compared to the drama-filled situation taking place out in Memphis. The league is down on Morant, hence why it’s become so difficult for the Grizzlies to stir up the kind of attention they want for their veteran star.
Several teams have been linked to Morant, such as the Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors. Although the Milwaukee Bucks and the Minnesota Timberwolves generated a little noise there, Amick considered them unlikely to make a move for the high-flying star.
As much as the initial three make sense, especially the Heat, who seem to be the favorites for Morant at this time, every insider has made it clear that trade talks aren’t going very far. Ultimately, it probably boils down to the Grizzlies’ ask.
There’s no simple solution, but the Grizzlies will have to soon accept that last year’s price isn’t the same.